II.  I  i.  2S 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON.     N.    J. 


Presented  by 


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ON    THE 


HOLY    SCRIPTURES: 

CRITTCAL,  DOCTRINAL,  AND  HOMILETICAL. 

WITH  SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO  MINISTERS  AND  STUDENTS 


BT     . 


JOHK   PETER  LAISTGE,  D.  D., 

OKDINAKT  PROTIBSOB  OF  THEOLOGY  IN  THE  UNrVBBSITT  OJf  BONK, 
n  (x>wasuTtoK  wtth  a  kumbbb  of  EuiNsirr  bcropkah  Dirma 

TRANSLATED,   ENLARGED,   AND  EDITED 


PHILIP   SOHAFF,  D.  D., 

PROFESSOR   or  THEOLOGY   IN  THE  UNION   THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.   NEW   YORK, 
la     OOmnCCTION     with     AMERIOAX     SOBOLARS    or     various     evangelical     DBNOMUATIOVa. 


VOhfmE  XIV.  0¥  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT:  CONTAINING  THE  MINOR  PROPHETB 


KEW  YORK: 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS, 

1891) 


THt 


MINOR  PEOPHETS 


KXEGETICALLY,  THEOLOGICALLY.   AJND   HOMILETICALLY 


expoxuntded 


PATIL    KLEINERT,   OTTO    SCHMOLLER, 

GEORGE   R.  BLISS,  TALBOT  W.  CHAMBERS,   CHARLES  ELLICTT. 

JOHN   FORSYTH,  J.  FREDERICK   McCURDY,   AND 

JOSEPH    PACKARD. 


EDITED  BY 

PHILIP   SCHAFF,  D.  D. 


NEW   YOPwK: 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS. 

ia99 


BMered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  vear  1874,  Or 

tiCRiBNER,  Armstrong,  aito  Compant, 
tt  thB  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  WashinsUMb 


Trow's 
Printing  and  Bookbinding  Company, 
205-213   Kast  jith  St., 
NEW    YORK. 


PREFACE  BY  THE   GENERAL  EDITOR 


The  volume  on  the  Minor  Prophets  is  partly  in  advance  of  the  German  original, 
which  has  not  yet  reached  the  three  post-exilian  Prophets.  The  commentaries  on  the  nin« 
earlier  Prophets  by  Professors  Kleinert  and  Schmoller  appeared  in  separate  numben 
some  time  ago  ^ ;  but  for  Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi,  Dr.  Lange  has  not,  to  this  date, 
been  able  to  secure  a  suitable  co-laborer.^  With  his  cordial  approval  I  deem  it  better  to 
complete  the  volume  by  original  commentaries  than  indefinitely  to  postpone  the  publicatioo. 
They  were  prepared  by  sound  and  able  scholars,  in  conformity  with  the  plan  of  the  whole 
work. 

The  volume  accordingly  contains  the  following  parts,  each  one  being  paged  separately :  — 

1.  A  General  Introduction  to  the  Prophets,  especially  the  Minor  Prophets,  by 
Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Exegesis  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  The 
general  introductions  of  Kleinert  and  Schmoller  are  too  brief  and  incomplete  for  our  purpose, 
and  therefore  I  requested  Dr.  Elliott  to  prepare  an  independent  essay  on  the  subject. 

2.  HosEA.  By  Rev.  Dr.  Otto  Schmoller.  Translated  from  the  Grerman  and  en- 
larged by  James  Frederick  Mc Curdy,  M.  A.,  of  Princeton.  N.  J. 

3.  Joel.  By  Otto  Schmoller.  Translated  and  enlarged  by  Rev.  John  Forsyth, 
D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Chaplain  and  Professor  of  Ethics  and  Law  in  the  United  States  Militaiy 
Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y. 

4.  Amos.  By  Otto  Schmoller.  Translated  and  enlarged  by  Rev.  Talbot  W 
Chambers,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  Collegiate  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  New  York. 

5.  Obadiah.  By  Rev.  Paul  Kleinert,  Professor  of  Old  Testament  Theology  in  the 
University  of  Berlin.  Translated  and  enlarged  by  Rev.  George  R.  Bliss,  D.  D.,  Professor 
in  the  University  of  Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania. 

6.  Jonah.  By  Prof.  Paul  Kleinert,  of  the  University  of  Berlin.  Translated  and  en- 
larged by  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  Professor  of  Biblical  Exegesis  in  Chicago.' 

7.  Micah.  By  Prof.  Paul  Kleinert,  of  Berlin,  and  Prof.  George  R.  Bliss,  of  Lewi*- 
burg. 

8.  Nahum.  By  Prof.  Paul  Kleinert,  of  Berlin,  and  Prof.  Charles  Elliott,  of 
Chicago. 

9.  Habakkuk.     By  Professors  Bjleinert  and  Elliott. 

1  Obadjah,  Jonah,  Mieha,  Nahum,  HaiaJcuk,  Zephanjah.  Wissenshqfilieh  undfUr  den  Oebraueh  der  Eirehe  avsgtUgt  vom 
Paul  Eleinsbt,  P/arrer  zu  Sc.  Gertraud  vnd  a.  Professor  an  der  Universit'dt  zu  Berlin.  Bielefeld  u.  Leipzig,  1868.  —  Dii 
Propheten  Hosea,  Joel  und  Amos.  Theologiseh-homiletisch  bearbeitet  von  Ono  Sohholub,  Lieent.  der  TheologU,  Diaconut 
in  Uraeh.  Bielef.  und  Leipzig,  1872. 

a  The  commentary  of  Rev.  W.  Pbbbskl  on  these  three  Prophets  (Die  naehtxUisehen  Propheten,  Gotha,  1870)  w«J 
originally  prepared  for  Lange's  Bible-work,  but  was  rejected  by  Dr.  Lange  mainly  on  account  of  Pressel's  views  on  tlM 
genuineness  and  integrity  of  Zechariah.  It  was,  however,  independently  published,  and  was  made  use  of,  like  othv 
commentaries,  by  the  authors  of  the  respective  sections  in  this  volume. 

«  Dr.  Elliott  desires  to  render  his  acknowledgments  to  the  Rev.  Reuben  Dederick,  of  Chicago,  and  the  Rev.  Jaeok 
Lotke,  of  Faribault,  Minnesota,  for  valuable  assistance  in  translating  some  difficult  passages  in  KlelnarfB  0<»iimentMlM 
•D  Jonah,  Nahum,  and  Habakkuk. 


PREFACE   BY   THE   GENERAL  EDITdR. 


10.  Zephaniah.     By  Professors  Kleinert  and  Elliott. 

11.  Haggai.     By  James  Frederick  McCurdy,  M.  A.,  Princeton,  N.  J. 

12.  Zechariah  By  Rev.  Talbot  W.  Chambers,  D.  D.,  New  York.  (See  special 
preface.) 

13.  Malachi.  By  Rev.  Joseph  Packard,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  in 
the  Theological  Semiimry  at  Alexandria,  Virginia. 

The  contributors  to  this  volume  were  directed  carefully  to  consult  the  entire  ancient  and 
modern  literature  on  the  Minor  Prophets  and  to  enrich  it  with  the  latest  results  of  Grerman 
and  Anglo-American  scholarship. 

The  remaining  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  are  all  under  way,  and  will  be  published  ai 
fast  as  the  nature  of  the  work  will  permit. 

PHILIP  SCHAFF. 

DmoB  TasniooKSAi  Sewha'w,  Nsw  Yom.  .  xr,iutry,  1874. 


THE 


BOOK  OF  ZECHAKIAH. 


EXPOUNDED 


TALBOT  w/cHAMBERS,   D.  D. 

JMI  Of  Tm  PAOTOBS  OV  THX   C0LL30IATE   RKrORMn)   DUTCH   OHVIOI 


NEW  YOIiK: 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS, 


isBtered  mccording  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  bj* 

HCRIBNEK,    AkMSTEONG,    AND   COMPAST, 

en  tbe  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  WashingUA. 


PREFACE. 


The  general  form  of  this  commentary  has  been  determined  by  that  of  the  woit  of  which 

it  forms  a  part.  While  conforming  to  this  rule,  the  author  has  endeavored  to  consider  fairly 
every  difBcult  question,  to  furnish  a  tolerable  conspectus  of  the  different  views  upon  it,  and 
wherever  possible  to  state  his  own  with  the  reasons  upon  which  it  rests.  Reference  has 
been  had  to  the  wants  of  ministers  and  students,  and  it  is  hoped  that  they  will  be  able  to 
find  in  these  pages  at  least  a  convenient  summary  of  the  present  state  of  critical  and  exe- 
getical  opinion  upon  this  most  important  of  the  post-exile  prophets.  The  author  has  done 
the  best  that  he  could  in  the  limited  time  allowed  him,  but  feels  painfully  that  he  has  fallen 
far  short  of  his  own  ideal.  The  work,  such  as  it  is,  he  humbly  commends  to  the  favor  of 
Him  without  whose  blessing  nothing  is  either  good  or  useful.  A  respectable  scholar  of  the 
early  part  of  the  last  century  concludes  the  preface  to  his  annotations  upon  Zechariah  with 
words  which  the  present  writer  cheerfully  adopts  for  himself  "  Quantum  ad  nos,  rimatt 
sumus  hanc  propketiam,  verum  pro  modulo  nostra.      Omnino   enim  hie  usu  nobis  venit,  quod 

Paulus  1  Cor.  xiii.  6  inculcat :    Ek  fxipovi   yLV(i)aKojx€v,  Kat   Ik   fxepovi  7rpo<^7/Tevo/x€v 

Interea,  si  quid  lucis  ex  opella  nostra  lector  acceperit,  Deo  acceptum  id  referat !  sin  aherasse 
ac  ncevos  admisisse  nos  animadverterit,  infirmitati  nostrce  condonet !  Ingenue  namque  agnosci' 
mus  in  exponendo  tarn  sublimi  vaticinio  egisse  nos  non  quantum  debuitnus,  aed  quantum  potuim 
Mtis"  (J.  H.  Michaelis,  1720.) 


THE  PROPHET   ZECHARIAH. 


INTRODUCTION. 

1.  The  Name  and  Personal  Relations  of  Zechariah. 

2.  The  Historical  Background  of  his  Prophecy. 

3.  The  Style  and  Form  of  the  Book. 

4.  The  Messianic  Predictions 

5.  The  Contents  of  the  Book. 

6.  The  Genuineness  of  the  Second  Part. 

7.  The  alleged  Influence  of  the  Persian  Theology. 

8.  Literature. 

§  1.   The  Name  and  Personal  Relations  of  Zechanuh. 

The  name  Zechariah  is  given  to  more  than  twenty  different  persons  in  the  Old  Testament 
(see  the  enumeration  in  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary,  p.  3610),  but  of  these  by  far  the  most  din- 
tinguished  is  the  eleventh  in  order  of  the  twelve  minor  prophets.  The  word  n^'IDT  is  tisu- 
ally  regarded  as  a  compound  of  the  abridged  divine  name  T\>  and  the  radicals  "^ST,  but 
opinions  vary  as  to  the  proper  voweling  of  the  latter  word.  Some  regard  it  as  a  masculine 
noun  =  man  o/ Jehovah  ;  others  as  a  feminine  segholate  =  memory  of  Jehovah  ;  but  more 
commonly  it  is  taken  as  a  verb  =  Jehovah  remembers.  This  corresponds  to  the  usual 
method  in  which  rr^  is  compounded  with  other  words  in  order  to  form  a  proper  name. 
Some  of  the  older  expositors  (Jerome,  Abarbanel),  and  a  few  of  the  moderns  (Neumann, 
Schlier),  endeavor  to  trace  a  connection  between  the  Prophet's  name  and  the  contents  of  his 
utterances,  but  such  a  notion  is  forbidden  by  the  frequency  of  its  occurrence  elsewhere,  and 
by  the  fact  that  there  is  no  prophet  to  whose  words  such  a  name  would  not  equally  apply. 
He  describes  himself  as  "  the  son  of  Berekiah,  the  son  of  Iddo,"  which  phrases  cannot  be 
taken  appositionally  (LXX.,  Jerome,  Cyril),  but  according  to  all  genealogical  usage  denote 
that  our  Prophet  was  the  son  of  the  former  and  grandson  of  the  latter.  It  is  no  objection 
to  this  view  that  in  Ezra  v.  1,  vi.  14,  he  is  called  the  son  of  Iddo,  because  in  Scripture  it 
is  by  no  means  unprecedented  to  give  the  name  son  to  a  grandson,  or  even  a  m^re  remote 
descendant.  Thus  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  2  Kings,  Jehu  is  styled  in  the  fourteenth  verse, 
"  the  son  of  Jehoshaphat,  the  son  of  Nimshi,"  but  in  the  twentieth  verse,  simply,  "  the  son 
of  Nimshi."  Moreover,  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  the  Prophet,  when  formally  stating  his 
own  descent  in  the  title  of  his  prophecy,  should  recite  the  names  of  his  father  and  grand- 
father, while  the  omission  of  the  former  in  an  historical  narrative  such  as  Ezra's,  may  bw 
easily  accounted  for,  either  on  the  view  that  Berekiah  had  died  young,  or  that  Iddo  was  the 
more  distinguished  person  and  perhaps  generally  recognized  as  the  head  of  the  family,  which 
appears  to  be  a  fair  inference  from  Neh.  xii.  1,  4-8.  In  this  passage  he  is  stated  to  have 
been  one  of  "  the  heads  of  the  priests  and  of  their  brethren,"  who  came  up  from  Babylon 
with  Zerubbabel,  and  he  is  said  (ver.  16)  to  have  had  a  son  named  Zechariah,  in  the  time 
of  Joiakim,  the  successor  of  Joshua  in  the  office  of  high  priest.  Hence  we  may  conclude 
that  Zechariah  —  owing  possibly  to  the  death  of  his  father  —  became  the  immediate  repre- 
sentative of  the  family  after  Iddo.  He  was,  therefore,  like  .leremiah  and  Ezekiel,  a  Priest 
as  well  as  a  Prophet.  As  his  grandfather  was  still  in  active  service  in  the  time  of  Joshua, 
Zechariah  must  have  been  quite  youni;  at  that  time,  a  fact  which  is  indicated  also  by  the 


6  ZECHAKIAil. 


address  made  to  him  in  one  of  the  visions  (ii.  4),  "  Run,  speak  to  that  young  man."  He 
was  therefore  born  in  Babylon,  and  came  up  with  the  first  company  of  exiles  who  returned 
to  Palestine.  This  fact  of  itseU"  disposes  of  the  fables  of  Epiphanius  and  others  that  he 
was  a  man  of  advanced  age  at  the  time  of  the  return,  and  had  distinguished  himself  br 
various  wonders  and  prophecies  in  Babylon  (see  the  citations  in  Kohler,  Einl.).  Similar 
patristic  traditions  as  to  his  death  and  his  burial  by  the  side  of  Haggai,  near  Jerusalem, 
iiave  no  historical  value.  The  later  Jewish  accounts  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  (Jreat 
Svna<rogue  and  took  an  active  part  in  providing  for  the  liturgical  service  of  the  Second 
Temple,  are  probable  enough  in  themselves,  but  cannot  be  certainly  authenticated.  The 
LXX.  ascribe  to  him  the  composition  of  Ps.  cxxxvii.,  cxxxviii.,  and  to  him  and  Haggai, 
that  of  Ps.  cxlv.-cxlviii.,  in  some  of  which  ascriptions  the  Peshito  and  the  Vulgate  agree. 
There  seems  to  be  no  means  at  the  present  day  of  determining  how  far  any  of  these  are  to 
be  credited.  "  The  triumphant  Hallelujuh  with  which  many  of  these  Psalms  open,  was 
supposed  to  be  characteristic  of  those  Avhich  were  first  chanted  in  the  Second  Temple,  and 
came  with  an  emphasis  of  meaning  from  the  lips  of  those  who  had  been  restored  to  their 
native  land.  The  allusions,  moreover,  with  which  these  Psalms  abound,  as  well  as  their 
place  in  the  Psalter,  leave  us  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  time  when  they  were  composed,  and  lend 
confirmation  to  the  tradition  respecting  their  authorship  "  (Smith's  Diet,  of  Bible,  p.  3599). 

§  2.    The  Historical  Background  of  his  Prophecy. 

This  is  plainly  determined  by  the  book  itself.  Zechariah's  first  address,  one  which  is  on 
its  face  introductory,  is  dated  in  the  eighth  month,  in  the  second  year  of  Darius,  which  la 
two  months  after  the  first  prophecy  of  Haggai  (i.  1).  The  two  prophets,  therefore,  were  for 
a  time  contemporary,  and  acted  in  concert  in  the  commencement  of  their  labors  so  far  aa 
concerned  their  first  object,  namely,  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple.  In  this  Haggai  led  the 
way,  and  then  left  the  work  to  the  younger  man,  who,  however,  by  no  means  confined  his 
prophetic  activity  to  this  narrow  scope. 

The  restoration  of  the  Temple  had  been  a  matter  of  great  and  pressing  interest  to  the 
company  of  50,000  who  came  up  from  Babylon  under  the  summons  of  Cyrus  in  the  year 
536  B.  c,  and  reoccupied  the  land  of  their  fathers.  They  at  once  began  to  collect  ma^ 
terials  and  workmen,  and  in  the  second  month  of  the  following  year  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  house  with  mingled  joy  and  grief  (Ezra  iii.  11-13).  But  they  were  not  suffered  to  pro- 
ceed in  quiet.  Their  neighbors,  the  descendants  of  the  people  whom  Esar-haddon  had  set- 
tled in  Samaria,  asked  permission  to  join  in  the  enterprise,  but  were  indignantly  rejected. 
In  consequence  they  exerted  themselves  in  opposition,  both  by  throwing  obstacles  in  the  way 
on  the  spot  and  by  hiring  influential  counsellors  at  the  Persian  court.  They  were  success- 
ful even  during  the  life  of  Cyrus  (Ezra  iv.  5),  but  in  the  reign  of  Gomates,  the  pseudo- 
Smerdis,  obtained  a  decree  absolutely  prohibiting  the  further  prosecution  of  the  work.  In 
consequence  the  whole  enterprise  lay  in  abeyance  for  a  period  of  nearly  fourteen  years.  But 
in  the  year  521  b.  c,  Darius,  the  son  of  Hystaspes,  ascended  the  throne.  Immediately  the 
prophets  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  inferring  that  the  prohibitory  decree  of  the  preceding  king 
ceased  at  his  death,  incited  their  countrymen  to  resume  the  work.  They  did  so  under  the 
lead  of  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua,  but  were  again  interrupted,  not  however  by  their  malignant 
neighbors,  but  by  Tatnai,  the  Persian  governor  west  of  the  Euphrates,  who  simply  as  a  mat- 
ter°of  administration  inquired  into  the  origin  and  object  of  the  movement.  The  conse- 
quence was  a  writteL  -eference  to  the  central  government  at  Babylon.  A  search  in  the 
records  at  Ecbatana  Drought  to  light  the  original  decree  of  Cyrus  ordering  the  restoration 
of  the  Jews  and  their  worship.  This,  Darius  cordially  renewed  and  confirmed  in  the  sec 
end  year  of  his  reign,  so  that  thenceforth  there  was  no  longer  any  outward  difficulty  in  the 
way. 

But  it  is  very  evident  from  the  language  of  Haggai  that  a  great  change  had  occurred  in 
the  views  and  feelings  of  the  people.  Their  former  zeal  for  divine  worship  had  almost  dis- 
appeared. They  became  engrossed  in  the  work  of  repairing  their  private  fortunes  and 
securing  the  comforts  of  life.  They  accepted  the  hindrances  in  the  way  of  work  upon  the 
Tempkas  providential  indications  that  they  were  not  to  resume  it,  and  very  energetic  ap« 
peals  and  remonstrances  were  retjuired  to  rouse  them  from  their  apathy,  and  engage  them 
with  becoming  diligence  and  constancy  in  the  enterprise.  These  efforts  of  the  two  prophets 
were  succcssfuL  and  the  building  was  finished  in  the  sixth  year  of  Darius  (b.  c.  515),  twenty 


INTRODUCTION.  7 


one  years  after  its  commencement.  All  the  notes  of  time  given  in  Zechariali  (i.  1-7  ;  vii 
1)  <all  within  the  period  occupied  in  labor  upon  the  Temple,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  follow 
as  a  necessary  consequeiice  that  all  his  earlier  prophecies  are  to  be  understood  as  mainly 
intcmded  to  secure  this  consummation.  The  Temple  was  to  the  Jews  both  an  indispensable 
means  of  worship  and  the  one  great  symbol  of  their  faith  ;  and  indifference  to  its  existence 
or  progress  was  a  sure  token  of  spiritual  declension.  The  Prophet  therefore  has  a  constant 
reference,  direct  or  indirect,  to  this  work,  but  he  by  no  means  confines  himself  to  it.  His 
utterances  take  in  the  whole  character  and  condition  of  the  covenant  people,  their  present 
dangers  and  discouragements,  their  tendencies  to  formalism  and  self-deception,  their  rela- 
tions to  the  surrounding  heathen  and  their  influence  upon  the  future  prospects  of  the  world. 
His  historical  position  in  the  second-fourth  years  of  Darius  merely  furnishes  the  background 
for  the  delineations  he  presents  of  the  present  and  coming  fortunes  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
To  insist,  as  some  recent  writers  do,  upon  limiting  the  scope  of  tlie  night  visions  to  the 
Prophet's  own  age,  greatly  embarrasses  the  interpretation,  and  at  the  same  time  disregards 
what  is  one  of  the  characteristic  features  of  all  Scripture  prophecy,  namely,  that  it^con- 
etantly  brings  together  the  near  and  the  remote,  deals  in  generic  statements,  and  prefers  a 
logical  to  a  chronological  connection.  The  sacred  writers  of  course  met  the  wants  of  their 
contemporaries;  but  the  Spirit  that  was  in  them  gave  their  words  a  force  and  bearing 
which  passed  far  beyond  the  immediate  present. 

§  3,   The  Style  and  Form  of  the  Book. 

From  the  earliest  period  complaint  has  been  made  of  the  obscurity  of  the  Prophet. 
Hengstenberg  quotes  from  Abarbanel,  "  The  prophecies  of  Zechariah  are  so  obscure  that  no 
expositors  however  skilled  have  found  their  hands  (Ps.  Ixxvi.  5)  in  the  explanation,"  and  from 
Jarchi,  "  the  prophecy  is  very  abstruse,  for  it  contains  visions  resembling  dreams  which  wan 
interpreting  ;  and  we  shall  never  be  able  to  discover  the  true  interpretation  until  the  teacher 
of  righteousness  (cf.  Joel  ii.  23  marg.)  arrives."  The  same  thing  had  been  said  long  before 
these  Jewish  expositors  by  Jerome,  who  after  pronouncing  the  first  part  very  obscure"  beo-ins 
his  comment  on  the  second  with  these  words,  '>  Ab  obscuris  ad  obscuriora  transimus,  et  lum 
Moyse  ingredimur  in  nubem  et  caliginem.  Abyssus  abyssum  invocat  in  voce  cataractarum  Dei, 
et  gyrans  gyrando  vadit  spiritus  et  in  circulos  sues  revertitur :  Labyrinthios  patimur  errores  et 
Christi  c<Bca  regimus  Jib  vestigia."  So  Lowth  speaks  of  him  as  the  Prophet  "  who  of  all  is 
perhaps  the  most  obscure."  To  the  same  effect  speak  many  of  the  rationalistic  expositors. 
And  although  some  of  these  complaints  may  be  traced  to  subjective  causes  as,  e.  g.,  the  ex- 
treme difHcnlty  a  Jew  would  find  in  understanding  any  writing  which  apparently  describes 
a  suffering  Messiah,  or  the  unwillingness  of  one  who  denies  the  possibility  of  p'rophecy  in 
the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  to  see  or  admit  what  manifestly  is  a  prediction  of  a  remotely 
future  event ;  yet  it  is  undeniable  that  there  are  passages  which  in  themselves  are  hard  to 
be  understood.  This  is  owing  mainly  to  the  predominan^ce  of  symbolical  and  figurative  lan- 
guage, and  occasionally  to  the  brevity  and  conciseness  of  the  statements.  Yet,°as  Vitringa 
observes,  this  fact  ought  not  to  frighten  any  one  who  is  eager  for  the  truth,  since  there  is°a 
sense,  even  if  hidden,  which  relates  to  the  most  important  things  ;  and  this  should  only 
stimulate  one's  endeavors.  Moreover,  as  Hengstenberg  suggestsr  there  are  two  considera- 
tions which  greatly  aid  the  interpreter  of  Zechariah.  One  is  that  he  leans  so  much  upon 
his  predecessors  prior  to  the  Captivity,  and  hence  much  light  is  gained  from  parallel  pas- 
sages. The  other  lies  in  his  being  a  Prophet  of  the  restoration.  Of  course  one  element  of 
uncertainty  which  is  found  in  the  earlier  Prophets  here  ceases.  A  good  deal  of  what  was 
future  to  them  is  to  Zechariah  either  past  or  present,  and  it  is  not  possible  to  explain  any 
of  his  glowing  delineations  of  a  future  state  of  deliverance  and  enlargement  as  fulfilled  in 
the  return  from  Babylon.  The  contraction  of  the  possible  field  of  visio°n  lessens  the  liability 
to  err. 

^  Zechariah  delivers  his  oracles  partly  in  direct  prophetic  speech,  partly  in  the  relation  of 
visions,  and  partly  in  the  description  of  symbolical  acts  (chaps,  vi.,  xi).  The  occurrence  of 
the  two  latter  forms  has  been  attributed  to  his  Chaldaic  education,  and  to  the  influence  of 
Babylonian  usage?  and  doctrines  upon  his  mind.  This  is  far-fetched  and  needless.  Ever> 
peculiarity  may  be  sufficiently  accounted  for  by  reference  to  the  older  Prophets  with  whom 
he  was  familiar,  especially  Jeremiah  and  Daniel.  The  occurrence  of  symbolic  visions  can- 
not be  due  to  the  influencej  of  the  exile,  for  such  visions  are  found   in  Amos  (vii.-ix.)  who 


8  ZECHARIAH. 


lived  long  before  that  period,  and  are  not  found  in  Haggai,  who  was  Zechariah's  contempo- 
l&ry.  In  resj  ect  to  our  Prophet's  doctrine  of  angels,  good  or  bad,  equally  groundless  is  the 
view  which  makes  him  a  debtor  to  Mesopotamian  or  Persian  theology.  As  this  point  will 
>j  found  treated  at  some  length  in  a  subsequent  section  (§  7),  only  a  few  words  need  be 
added  here.  As  to  good  angels  in  general,  and  the  angel  oi'  the  Lord  in  particular,  the 
Book  of  Genesis  furnished  him  with  accepted  models  ;  and  as  to  Satan,  his  existence  is  found 
clearly  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Job,  which  no  sober  interpreter  has  ever  assigned  to  a  later 
date  than  the  Solomonic  era.  Zechariah,  therefore,  reveals  no  "  Babylonian-Persian  color- 
ing "  in  his  writings.  The  particulars  which  have  been  cited  as  showing  such  a  coloring 
are  either  distinctively  Israelitish  (e.  g.,  the  number  seven,  iii.  9),  or  else  manifestly  general 
(e.  g,,  the  company  of  riders,  i.  8).  On  the  contrary  there  is  every  indication  that  his  cul- 
ture was  native  and  national.  Not  only  does  he  expressly  refer  to  the  former  Prophets  (i. 
4-6;  vii.  7-12)  but  borrows  their  phraseology,  as  in  Be  silent  all  Jiesli,  etc.,  ii.  13,  cf.  Hab. 
ii.  20;  a  brand  plucked,  etc.,  iii.  2,  cf.  Amos  iv.  11  ;  quiet  my  spirit,  vi.  8,  cf.  Ez.  v.  13  ; 
:iW12^  "1537^,  vii.  14,  ix.  8,  cf.  Ez.  xxxv.  7;  fear  not,  etc.,  viii.  13,  cf  Zeph.  iii.  16;  let 
us  go  speedily,  etc.,  viii.  21,  cf.  Is.  ii.  3;  shall  take  hold,  etc.,  viii.  23,  cf.  Is.  iv.  1.  Other 
references  may  be  seen  by  comparing  i.  12  with  Jer.  xxv.  11,  12  ;  ii.  8  with  Is.  xlix.  20;  iii. 
S  and  vi.  12  with  Is.  liii.  2  and  xi.  1 ;  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  xxxiii.  15,  iii.  10  with  Micah  iv.  4 ;  vi. 
13  with  Ps.  ex.  4  ;  viii.  4  with  Is.  Ixv.  19,  20  ;  viii.  19  with  Jer.  xxxi.  13  ;  xii.  1  with  Is. 
xlii.  5  ;  Ii.  13. 

Henderson  speaks  of  his  prose  as  "diffuse,  uniform,  and  repetitious,"  which  is  far  too 
sweeping  a  charge.  If  by  it  he  refers  to  the  reiteration  of  "  Ye  shaU  know  that  Jehovah  of 
Hosts  hath  sent  me  "  in  eh.  ii.,  or  of  "  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts  "  in  ch.  viii.,  it  may  be 
said  that  if  one  considers  what  an  impression  is  thus  made  as  to  the  Prophet's  consciousness 
of  his  inspiration  and  the  certainty  of  the  declarations  he  utters,  these  will  not  be  deemed 
"  vain  repetitions."  I  agree  with  Pressel  that  he  must  have  no  eyes  who  does  not  see  and 
admire  the  grandeur  of  the  night  visions,  and  he  no  ears  who  does  not  hear  the  heavy  tread 
of  the  last  six  chapters.  Manifest  as  is  the  dependence  of  Zechariah  upon  his  predecessors 
in  the  particulars  before  mentioned,  he  yet  has  a  marked  individuality  both  in  thought  and 
expression,  e.  g.,  God's  protection  of  Jerusalem  as  a  wall  of  fire  round  about  and  glory 
within  (ii.  5)  ;  the  dramatic  scene  of  Joshua  and  Satan  before  the  angel  of  the  Lord  (iiu 
1,  2)  ;  the  poetic  delineation  of  the  resistless  Spirit  (iv.  7)  ;  the  development  of  the  idea  in 
the  word  Branch  (iii.  8  ;  vi.  12)  ;  the  exquisite  picture  of  peace  and  prosperity  (viii.  4,  5)  ; 
the  representation  of  Judah  as  a  bow  which  the  Lord  bends  and  Ephraim  the  arrow  fitted 
on  the  string  (ix.  13)  ;  the  energy  in  describing  the  wretchedness  of  the  flock  of  slaughter  in 
xi.  5  ;  the  striking  comparisons  in  xii.  8-10  ;  the  amazing  conception  in  the  phrase  "  fellow 
of  Jehovah  "  (xiii.  7)  ;  or,  the  picturesque  method  of  setting  forth  universal  holiness  in  xiv. 
20,  21. 

The  Hebrew  of  Zechariah  is  now  admitted  to  be  pure  and  remarkably  free  from  Chal- 
daisms.  There  are  some  orthographic  peculiarities,  such  as  1^1"^  for  T}"^  (xii.  7,  8,  10). 
Some  singular  uses  of  words,  as  nnS  for  the  indefinite  article  (v.  7),  and  some  unusual  con- 
Btructions,  as  b^S'^S  niltpi"^,  or  the  unusual  position  of  DN  in  vii.  7,  viii.  17,  cf.  Haggai 
ii,  6 ;  but  in  the  main  the  language  corresponds  to  that  of  the  earlier  models,  and  exhibits 
far  fewer  traces  of  linguistic  decay  than  we  should  expect. 

§  4.   The  Messianic  Predictions. 

It  is  an  old  remark  that  Zechariah  is  distinguished  for  his  insight  into  the  moral  and  spir- 
itual meaning  of  the  Mosaic  economy,  and  his  illustration  of  the  Apostle's  statement  that 
the  law  is  a  schoolmaster  unto  Christ.  A  great  largeness  and  clearness  of  view  is  apparent 
even  on  a  cursory  inspection  of  his  writings.  His  rebuke  of  formal  fasting  in  ch.  vii.  is  not 
nearly  so  eloquent  as  Isaiah's  treatment  of  the  same  theme  in  the  fifty-eighth  cuapter  of  his 
prophecies,  but  it  is  every  way  as  decided  and  vigorous.  The  universality  of  the  commg 
dispensation  is  suggested  again  and  again.  It  is  not  individuals  merely,  but  many  nation* 
ana  far-off  peo[)les  who  are  to  be  joined  unto  the  Lord  The  old  boundaries  of  the  cove- 
uant  people  are  to  be  enlarged  until  they  become  coextensive  with  the  limits  of  the  habit- 
able earth.  See  ii.  11;  vi.  15;  viii.  20-23;  ix.  10;  xiv.  9-16.  The  sacred  inscription 
,4pon  the  tiara  of  the  high  priest,  Holiness  to  the  Lord,  which   proclj.imed   his  rntir* 


INTRODUCTION. 


Bonsecration  to  the  sacerdotal  function,  Zechariah  sees  engraved  hereafter  even  upon  the 
hells  of  the  horses  in  token  of  the  fact  that  all  believers  are  to  become  a  royal  priesthood,  a 
holy  nation,  and  that,  to  such  a  degree  that  even  the  most  ordinary  i'nnciions  of  life  shall  be 
discharged  in  a  religious  spirit.  (See  xiv.  20.)  Again,  the  reconstruction  of  the  material 
Temple  upon  its  old  site  is  so  far  from  satisfying  his  enlarged  views  that  he  passes  at  once 
to  the  true  house  of  God,  the  Temple  not  made  with  hands,  the  glorious  structure  composed 
of  living  stones,  built  and  inhabited  by  the  Sjjirit  of  the  living  God.  (See  vi.  13;  iv.  6). 
The  golden  candelabrum  of  the  Tabernacle  is  to  him  not  a  mere  ornament  however  brilliant, 
but  the  resplendent  type  of  the  city  of  God,  precious  to  Jehovah  as  the  apple  of  his  eye, 
and  shining  from  afar  like  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  the  means  of  its  illumination  being  pro- 
vided from  ever  fresh  and  imperishable  sources.  (See  iv.  1-12.)  Himself  a  member  of 
the  priestly  order,  he  looks  forward  to  the  time  when  the  patriarchal  type  of  Melchizedek 
shall  be  realized  in  the  combination  of  regal  and  sacerdotal  functions  in  one  person.  Not 
even  the  evangelical  Prophet  presents  this  instructive  and  consolatory  thought  with  th*! 
clearness  and  emphasis  of  Zechariah.  (See  iv.  13,  14  ;  vi.  13.)  Yet  again,  the  union  of 
the  highest  doctrines  of  grace  with  the  most  stringent  ethical  claims  is  given  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  Paul.  Over  and  over  is  it  asserted  that  the  Lord  has  chosen  Jerusalem  (i.  1 7  ;  ii, 
12;  iii.  2),  a  fact  which  is  made  the  sole  ground  of  her  preservation,  enlargement,  and  de- 
fense against  all  foes,  visible  and  invisible ;  and  yet  he  who  asserts  this  sees  between  heaven 
and  earth  the  flying  roll  inscribed  with  curses  against  all  transgressors  (v.  2-4),  and  also 
lays  down  with  sharp  precision  the  immutable  laws  of  justice,  goodness,  and'  truth,  founded 
upon  the  recognition  of  man's  relations  to  his  fellow-man,  and  their  common  relation  to  the 
one  Maker  and  Father  of  all  (vii.  8-10  ;  viii.  16,  17).  Once  more,  the  fine  conception  of  a 
joint  observance  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  by  all  families  of  the  earth,  represents  the  final 
issue  of  the  world's  great  pilgrimage,  when  the  race  of  man,  having  concluded  its  march 
through  the  wilderness  of  error  and  trial,  shall  gratefully  record  the  divine  goodness  in  the 
new  Exodus,  and  keep  a  perpetual  memorial  of  this  distinguishing  mercy  (xiv.  16). 

But  besides  these  general  allusions  and  references  to  the  coming  dispensation,  there  are 
specific  and  unquestionable  predictions  of  the  one  great  person  through  whom  they  were  to 
be  accomplished.  These  are  given  not  in  a  continuous  succession,  but,  just  as  they  were  by 
the  former  Prophets,  at  different  times,  and  in  various  relations  according  to  the  circum- 
stances and  object  of  the  Prophet  on  any  particular  occasion.  Each  prediction  answerea  a 
definite  purpose  when  it  was  uttered,  and  the  whole  together  serve  admirably  to  supplement 
and  complete  the  Messianic  literature  of  the  preexile  period.  These  specific  references  are 
more  frequent  and  emphatic  than  in  any  of  Zechariah's  predecessors  except  Isaiah.  They 
are  six  in  number. 

1.  The  first  one  occurs  in  ch.  iii.  8,  where  Zechariah  appropriates  a  name  already  used 
by  Isaiah  (iv.  2)  and  by  Jeremiah  (xxiii.  5;  xxxiii.  15)  for  the  same  purpose  —  Branch. 
Jehovah  declares  that  he  will  bring  forth  his  servant,  thus  entitled,  and,  in  close  connection 
with  this  promise,  asserts  that  the  iniquity  of  the  land  will  be  removed  in   one  day. 

2.  In  ch.  vi.  12,  13,  the  same  promise  is  resumed  and  enlarged.  The  man  whose  name 
is  Branch.  He  will  start  from  a  lowly  origin  and  build  the  Temple  of  Jehovah,  not  the 
mere  material  structure,  but  the  true  spiritual  Temple  composed  of  living  stones.  Not  only 
will  He  sit  in  majesty  upon  a  throne,  but  be  a  priest  upon  his  throne,  uniting  in  Himself  the 
two  distinct  offices  and  so  securing  the  perfect  discharge  of  the  functions  of  both. 

3.  In  ch.  ix.  9,  10,  the  King  reappears.  His  dominion  is  peaceful  but  universal,  and 
shouts  of  triumph  hail  his  coming.  Yet  that  coming  is  marked  by  signs  of  lowliness  and 
sorrow.  The  passage  presents  the  same  combination  so  often  found  in  Isaiah,  of  the  absenco 
of  external  signs  of  majesty  with  the  reality  of  a  world-wide  power  and  influence. 

4.  The  next  Messianic  reference  is  found  in  the  obscure  and  diflBcult  eleventh  chapter, 
where  (vers.  12,  13)  the  wages  of  the  good  shepherd  are  estimated  at  the  contemptuous  sum 
of  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  "  A  goodly  price,"  says  Jehovah,  with  certainly  not  unbecoming 
irony,  "  at  which  I  was  prized  of  them."  The  New  Testament  (Matt,  xxvii.  9,  10)  leaves 
no  doubt  that  here  is  a  designed  allusion  to  the  price  of  the  fearful  treason  of  Judas  and 
the  subsequent  disposal  of  the  wages  of  unrighteousness. 

5.  In  ch.  xii.  10  is  a  still  more  remarkable  delineation  of  the  suffering  Messiah,  and  a 
rivid  statement  of  the  connection  between  his  death  and  the  kindling  of  an  earnest  and 
^euuine  repentance  in  those  who  look  upon  Him  as  one  whom  they  have  pierced.  It  was 
fiilfilled  at  Pentecosl,  and  has   been  iMu«*^rated    in   the  effects  of  the    preaching   of  the  cros* 


10  ZECHARIAH. 


ever  since.  The  repentance  thus  wrought  is  not  ineffectual,  but  results  in  forgiveness  and 
holiness,  as  is  shown  in  xiii.  1,  which  is  the  conclusion  of  the  passage  commencing  at  the 
tenth  verse  of  the  previous  chapter. 

6.  The  last  distinct  reference  to  the  coming  Saviour  (xiii.  7),  is  perhaps  the  most  striking 
ir  ihe  entire  range  of  prophecy.  In  it  Jehovah  is  represented  as  calling  upon  the  sword  to 
awake  against  the  man  who  is  his  fellow,  where  we  are  confronted  with  the  two  mysteries  ; 
that  one  sustaining  such  a  relation  should  be  subjected  to  such  a  doom,  and  that  the  Being 
who  calls  for  and  causes  it,  is  Jehovah  with  whom  he  is  so  intimately  united.  The  only  ex- 
planation lies  in  the  historical  statement  of  the  Evangelist, —  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  his  only-begottou  Son.  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  ui 
and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins. 

Thus  is  apparent  the  gradual  progress  of  the  disclosure.  First,  Jehovah's  lowly  servant. 
Branch  ;  then  that  servant  as  priest  and  king  building  Jehovah's  Temple  ;  thirdly,  as  a 
meek  and  peaceful,  but  universal  monarch  ;  fourthly,  a  Shepherd,  scorned,  rejected,  betrayed 
and  (by  implication)  slain  ;  fifthly,  his  pierced  form  seen  by  faith  a  means  of  deep  and  gen- 
eral repentance  attended  by  pardon  and  conversion  ;  and  lastly,  the  Fellow  of  Jehovah 
smitten  by  Jehovah  himself,  at  once  the  redeemer  and  the  pattern  of  his  flock. 

Dr.  Lange  (Genesis,  p.  40)  finds  in  ch.  x.  11  a  representation  of  Christ  as  going  before 
his  returning  people  through  the  sea  of  sorrow,  beating  down  the  waves  of  the  sea.  But 
this  is  gained  only  by  an  arbitrary  interpretation,  at  war  with  the  connection,  unsustained  by 
usage  and  scarcely  admissible  even  upon  the  theory  of  accommodation. 

§  6.  The  Contents  of  the  Book. 

It  is  very  obvious  on  even  a  cursory  inspection,  that  the  book  consists  of  two  parts,  the 
former  of  which  (chaps,  i.-viii.)  contains  mention  of  the  dates  at  which  its  various  portions 
were  communicated,  while  the  latter  (chaps,  ix.-xiv.)  contains  no  dates  at  all.  There  are 
other  and  even  more  important  points  of  difference,  as  will  presently  be  seen,  but  this  one  is 
enough  to  indicate  the  occurrence  of  a  break  in  the  stream  of  prophetic  utterance  ;  the  first 
part  having  been  set  forth  in  the  earlier  years  of  Zechariah's  activity,  even  before  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Temple  ;  the  latter  on  the  contrary  having  been  delayed  for  several,  possibly 
many  years,  as  there  is  no  internal  indication  in  either  its  structure  or  its  substance,  that  it 
was  called  forth  by  any  particular  juncture  of  circumstances  in  the  condition  of  the  people. 
The  analogy  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah  suggests  the  opinion  that  the  Prophet,  having  in  the 
former  part  of  his  book  communicated  the  revelations  which  bore  immediately  upon  the 
duties  and  interest  of  his  countrymen  at  the  time,  in  the  latter  took  a  wider  range,  and  set 
forth  the  future  destiny  of  the  Church  in  its  lights  and  shades,  in  such  a  form  as  to  be  of 
equal  benefit  at  all  times  and  to  all  classes. 

The  First  Part. 

Tliis  is  determined  by  the  several  dates  to  consist  of  three  distinct  prophetic  utterances. 

I.  Chap.  i.  1-6.  These  verses  contain  an  introduction  in  the  form  of  a  solemn  admoni- 
tion enforced  by  an  appeal  to  the  experience  of  the  fathers,  who  not  only  felt  but  acknowl- 
edged that  Jehovah's  threatenings  were  not  a  vain  thing  but  a  formidable  reality.  The  date 
is  the  eighth  month  of  the  second  year  of  Darius,  B.  c.  515. 

n.    Chaps,  i.  7-vi.  15.     Eight  Night-visions  followed  by  an  Appendix,  namely  : 

1.  The  Man  among  the  Myrtles,  or  Successful  Intercession  for  the  Covenant  people  (ch.  i. 
7-17). 

2.  The  Four  Horns  and  Four  Smiths,  or  an  Adequate  Defender  against  every  Assailant 
(ch.  i.  18-21). 

3.  The  Man  with  the  Measuring  Line,  or  the  Enlargement  and  Security  of  the  People 
of  God  (ch.  ii.). 

4.  Joshua  the  High  Priest  before  the  Angel  of  Jehovah,  or  the  Forgiveness  of  Sin  and 
the  Coming  of  the  Branch  (ch.  iii.). 

5.  The  Candlestick  with  the  two  Olive  Trees,  or  the  Positive  Communication  of  Grod'f 
Spirit  and  Grace  (ch.  iv). 

6.  The  Flying  Roll,  or  the  Destroying  Curse  upon  all  Sinners  (ch.  v.  1-4). 

7.  TVic  Woman  in  the  Ephah,  or  the  Permanent  Exile  of  the  Wicked   (ch.  v    5-11). 


INTRODUCTION,  IJ 


8.    The  Four  Chariots,  or  Jehovah's  Judgments  upon  the  Heathen  (ch.  vi.  1-8). 

Appendix.  This  recites  a  symbolical  action,  the  Crowning  of  Joshua,  the  High-priest,  o? 
the  Functions  of  the  Priest-King  whose  name  is  Branch.  The  date  of  the  whole  series  u 
the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  eleventh  month  of  the  second  year  of  Darius,  b.  c.  515. 

HI.  Cliaps.  vii.  and  viii.  An  answer  to  the  inquiry  of  the  People  whether  they  should 
continue  to  observe  the  annual  fasts  which  commemorated  special  calamities  in  their  former 
experience.  The  Prophet  first  (ch.  vii.)  rebukes  their  formalism  and  recounts  the  sins  and 
sorrows  of  their  fathers  ;  and  then  (ch.  viii.)  promises  such  blessings  as  will  change  their  fasts 
into  festivals  and  attract  even  the  heathen  to  seek  their  fellowship.  The  prophecy  was  ut- 
tered in  the  fourth  day  of  the  ninth  month  of  the  fourth  year  of  Darius,  B.  c.  617,  which  It 
the  last  date  mentioned  in  the  book. 

The  Second  Part. 

This,  as  has  been  said,  bears  no  date,  and  may  have  been,  and  probably  was,  delivered 
long  after  what  is  contained  in  the  preceding  chapters.  It  is  divided  into  two  oracles  by 
the  titles  which  head  respectively  chaps,  ix.  and  xii.  The  general  theme  is  the  Futura 
Destiny  of  the  Covenant  People. 

I.    The  First  Burden  (chaps,  ix.-xi.). 

This  seems  to  outline  the  course  of  God's  providence  toward  his  people  as  far  as  the  time 
of  our  Saviour. 

1.  Judgment  upon  the  Land  of  Hadrach  (Lx.  1-8),  or  the  Syrian  Conquests  of  Alexander 
the  Great. 

2.  Zion's  King  of  Peace  (ix.  9,  10).     Plainly  Messianic. 

3.  Victory  over  the  Sons  of  Javan  (ix.  11-17),  or  the  triumphs  of  the  Maccabees. 

4.  Further  Blessings  of  the  Covenant  People  (ch.  x.).  Their  gradual  increase  in  means 
and  numbers  under  native  rulers. 

5.  The  Rejection  of  the  Good  Shepherd  (ch.  xi.).  A  striking  delineation  of  our  Lord's 
treatment  by  his  own  people. 

n.    The  Second  Burden  (chaps,  xii.-xiv.). 

This  carries  forward  the  outlook  upon  the  future  even  to  the  time  of  the  end. 

1.  Israel's  Victory  over  Trials  (xii.  1-9),  or  the  Triumph  of  the  early  Church  over  perse- 
cuting Foes. 

2.  Repentance  and  Conversion  (xii.  10  ;  xiii.  1),  or  the  Power  of  Christ's  Death  to  awaken 
and  renew. 

3.  The  Fruits  of  Penitence  (xiii.  2-6),  as  shown  in  the  abolition  of  false  worship  and 
false  prophecy  which  stand  for  all  forms  of  sin. 

4.  The  Sword  against  the  Shepherd  and  his  Flock  (xiii.  7-9),  or  Christ  is  smitten  by  his 
Father,  and  his  People  suiTer  also. 

5.  Final  Conflict  and  Triumph  of  God's  Kingdom  (ch.  xiv.),  or  a  General  Survey  of  thj 
checkered  course  from  beginning  to  end. 

§  6.    The  Genuineness  of  the  Second  Part. 

This  is  in  some  respects  the  most  interesting  and  important  question  pertaining  to  the 
book,  and  needs  to  be  considered  at  some  length. 

1.  The  History  of  the  Assault.  This  is  comparatively  of  late  date.  The  question  seems 
never  to  have  been  stirred  until  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  first  to  raise 
a  doubt  was  the  learned  and  pious  Jos.  Mede  in  the  Fragmenta  Sacra  appended  to  his  Dis- 
tert.  Eccles.  Triga,  London,  1653.  This  was  suggested  to  him  by  the  citation  in  Matt. 
(xxvii.  9,  10),  which  the  Evangelist  attributes  to  Jeremiah,  whence  he  concluded  that  "the 
Jews  had  not  rightly  attributed  these  chapters  to  Zechariah ; "  and  he  was  further  confirmed 
in  this  opinion  by  the  contents  of  the  chapters,  some  of  which  he  thought  required  an  earlier 
date  than  the  exile,  and  others  were  not  suitable  to  Zechariah's  position  and  object.  Mede 
was  followed  in  this  view  by  Hammond,  1681  ;  Rich.  Kidder,  Demon,  of  the  Messiah,  1700; 
Whiston,  1722;  Archbishop  Newcome,  Imp.  Version,  etc.,  1785;  to  all  of  whom  Blayney 
made  what  Hengstenberg  calls  "  an  admirable  reply,"  in  his  work  on  Zechariah,  Oxford, 
1797.  The  controversy  was  first  awakened  in  Germany  by  B.  G.  Fliigge,  in  an  anonymoui 
irork  published  in  1 784,  in  which  he  maintained  that  the  second  part  consisted  of  aine  die- 


£2  ZECllARIAH. 


linct  prophecies,  delivered  before  the  exile.  After  him  Eichhorn,  Corrodi,  Paulus,  and 
Vatke  went  to  the  opposite  extreme  and  assigned  its  origin  to  a  writer  living  in  the  time  of 
Alexander  the  Great.  The  greater  part  of  the  hostile  critics  (Bertholdt,  Rosenmiiller,  Ges- 
enius,  Hitzig  Knobel,  Maurer,  Ewald,  Bleek,  Bunsen,  Von  Ortenberg,  Pressel)  followed  in 
the  wake  of  Mede  and  Newcome,  and  maintained,  with  however  many  variations  among 
themselves,  that  the  six  chapters  in  question  dated  from  a  period  prior  to  the  Captivity 
Some  (Davidson  and  Pressel)  deem  the  whole  the  work  of  one  author,  probably  the  Zecha- 
riah  mentioned  Is.  viii.  2,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  Ahaz.  Others  (Knobel,  Bunsen,  et  al.) 
assign  chaps,  xii.-xiv.  (to  which  Ewald  excepts  xiii.  7-9,  which  he  thinks  misplaced  where  it 
is)  to  a  later  unknown  author,  probably  a  contemporary  of  Jeremiah  ;  and  thus  they  make 
two  ante-exile  composers  of  the  second  part.  The  traditional  view  of  one  book  and  one 
author  has  been  maintained  by  Carpzov,  Beckhaus,  Jahn,  Koster,  Hengstenberg,  De  Wette, 
(in  the  later  editions  of  his  Einleitung),  Umbreit,  Havernick,  Keil,  Stahelin,  V.  Hoffman, 
Neumann,  Kliefoth,  Kohler,  Reinke,  et  al.  ;  and  in  England  by  Henderson,  Wordsworth, 
and  Pusey,  while  Jno.  Pye  Smith  and  Davidson  hold  to  the  preexile  authorship. 

2.  The  Grounds  of  Objection  to  the  Genuineness.  These  have  been  already  suggested, 
(a.)  The  first  and  most  important  is  the  New  Testament  authority  as  apparently  given  by 
Matthew  (xxvii.  9,  10),  where  the  Evangelist  attributes  to  Jeremiah  what  is  unquestionably 
a  citation  from  Zech.  xi.  12.  Various  readings  are  found  in  some  MSS.  and  VSS.,  but  these 
are  such  as  in  all  probability  sprang  from  a  desire  to  make  the  Gospel  conform  to  the  fact. 
(b.)  Another  ground  is  sought  in  the  contents  of  the  six  chapters,  e.  ff.  Mede  argues  that  one 
of  the  chapters  contains  a  prophecy  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  which  was  fulfilled  by 
Titus,  and  this  was  by  no  means  suitable  to  the  object  of  Zechariah,  whose  mission  was  only 
to  console  and  to  encourage.  Again,  Ephraim  and  Judah  are  spoken  of  together  as  if  both 
were  still  existing  as  distinct  kingdoms,  which  they  never  were  after  the  exile.  Assyria 
and  Egypt  are  mentioned  as  formidable  powers  which  at  that  time  they  were  not,  Persia 
having  absorbed  the  former  and  subdued  the  latter.  So  also  are  Phoenicia,  Damascus,  and 
Philistia  represented  as  important  foes,  when  their  power  had  long  been  broken.  Com- 
plaints are  made  of  false  prophets  and  idolatry,  of  neither  of  which  is  any  trace  found  after 
the  Captivity.  The  delineation  of  the  Messiah  in  the  second  part,  as  rejected  and  put  to 
death,  is  inconsistent  with  those  statements  in  the  first,  which  represent  Him  as  glorious 
and  blessed,  (c.)  A  third  objection  is  drawn  from  the  alleged  contrast  of  style  between  the 
parts.  The  first  is  prosaic  and  poor,  the  second  is  poetic  and  forcible,  so  that  the  difference 
is  manifest.  The  one  is  full  of  visions,  and  speaks  much  of  angels  and  also  of  Satan,  of  all 
of  which  there  is  scarcely  a  trace  in  the  other.  Certain  characteristic  phrases,  "  The  word 
of  Jehovah  came,"  "  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,"  etc.,  found  in  the  first  eight  chapters, 
do  not  occur  at  all  in  the  last  six,  while  on  the  other  hand  "  in  that  day  "  occurs  frequently 
in  the  latter,  but  not  once  in  the  former.  A  convenient  summary  of  these  objections  may 
be  found  in  Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  pp.  3603,  3609. 

3.  The  Argument  for  the  Traditional  View,  (a)  Here  it  may  be  remarked,  first  that  the 
opinion  which  refers  the  origin  of  the  controverted  chapters  to  the  time  of  Alexander  or  of 
the  Maccabees,  is  now  generally  abandoned,  and  by  the  later  writers  on  the  other  side  is  not 
deemed  worthy  of  reply.  Indeed  it  never  rested  upon  anything  but  the  dogmatic  prejudice 
that  the  Prophets  could  prophecy  only  of  that  which  lay  in  their  own  time,  and  could  be 
foreknown  by  their  own  unaided  faculties.  Eiclihorn  frankly  confessed  that  all  other  argu- 
ments were  unsatisfactory.  (6.)  The  degree  of  variation  among  the  objectors  themselves, 
casts  suspicion  upon  their  views.  Men  of  equal  learning,  insight,  and  candor  differ  alike 
upon  the  authorship  they  suggest  and  the  grounds  upon  which  they  defend  it.  Some  make 
one  writer,  others  make  two ;  one  rests  mainly  upon  the  text  in  Matthew,  another  is  guided 
by  the  variations  in  matter  and  tone  between  the  first  part  and  the  second,  another  make? 
much  of  the  variations  in  style.  It  seems  then  that  as  soon  as  we  leave  the  traditional  view 
we  are  all  at  sea,  with  no  certain  criteria  of  judgment,  and  liable  to  be  borne  hither  and 
thither  by  mere  subjective  influences,  (c.)  We  have  no  record  of  any  other  Zechariah 
who  might  be  presumed  to  have  written  what  was  afterwards  confounded  with  the  genuine 
writings  of  the  son  of  Iddo.  Mention  is  made  (Is.  viii.  2)  of  a  man  bearing  this  name,  but 
it  is  only  as  a  "  faithful  witness,"  without  the  least  indication  that  he  bore  the  prophetic 
character  or  discharged  the  prophetic  office ;  and  later,  another  is  spoken  of  (2  Chron.  xxvi 
6)  who  was  a  trusted  counsellor  of  King  Uzziah,  but  this  man,  even  if  the  text  be  correct 
(of  which  there  is  serious  doubt),  while  he  ''  understood  the  sight  of  God,"  yet  did  not  st^nd 


INTRODUCTION.  l?l 


ji  the  proplietic  order  and  is  not  credited  with  any  prophetic  utterances,  much  less  writings, 
for  popular  edification.  Nothing  then  but  a  Yigorous  exer  nse  of  the  imagination  can  pro- 
duce another  Zechariah  whose  compositions  might  by  mistalce  have  been  appended  to  those 
of  the  post-exilivm  Prophet,  (d.)  The  theory  of  another  author  or  authors  implies  that 
there  was  a  mistake  made  by  the  framers  of  the  present  Canon  of  the  Old  Testament.  It 
is  quite  certain  that  they  intended  all  the  fourteen  chapters  of  Zechariah  to  be  regarded  as 
the  work  of  one  and  the  same  person.  Did  they  err  ?  We  may  admit,  as  Pressel  claims, 
the  paucity  of  our  knowledge  as  to  the  time  of  the  compilation  of  the  Canon,  and  the  men 
by  whom  it  was  done  ;  nor  can  we  urge  with  Hens^stenberg  that  Zechariah  lived  in  the 
same  age  with  the  collectors  of  the  Canon,  which  may  or  may  not  have  been  the  case.  But 
it  is  certain  that  the  Canon  was  completed  before  the  version  of  the  Septuagint  was  made, 
i.  e.,  iu  the  first  half  of  the  thii'd  century  before  Christ,  and  its  compilers  had  abundant  op- 
portunity to  satisfy  themselves  as  to  the  claims  of  the  difl'erent  classes  of  writings  upon 
which  they  adjudicated.  Some  they  admitted  ;  others  they  rejected  ;  and  their  judgment 
stands  to-day  accredited  by  the  highest  authority,  —  that  of  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles.  We 
know  from  Josephus  and  other  sources  what  Scriptures  they  were  upon  which  the  blessed 
Saviour  placed  his  imprimatur.  They  included  the  Aa)3eKa7rpo'(^/yrov,  just  as  it  stands,  and 
in  this,  the  Book  of  Zechariah  just  as  it  stands.  Would  he  have  sanctioned  such  an  error 
as  is  claimed  to  exist  ?  Is  it  reasonable  to  think  that  the  Providence  which  confessedly 
watched  so  carefully  over  the  sacred  writings  in  all  other  respects  would  have  failed  just 
here  ?  The  cases  which  Mede  cites  are  not  parallel.  He  speaks  of  Agur's  prayer  being 
included  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  of  Solomon,  and  of  liturgical  compositions  by  other  au- 
thors being  included  in  what  are  called  the  Psalms  of  David.  But  in  both  these  cases  the 
rule  was  applied,  a  fortiori  nomen  Jit ;  and  besides,  the  added  portions  were  for  the  most 
part  marked  with  the  names  of  their  respective  authors.  In  Zechariah  nothing  of  the  kind 
is  seen.  Not  a  hint  of  divided  authorship  is  given,  nor  was  even  the  thought  of  such  a 
thing  suggested,  until  twenty  centuries  had  rolled  away.  Nor  is  there  a  single  ascertained 
instance  in  the  older  portions  of  the  Scriptures,  in  which  pieces  by  different  authors  are  col- 
lected into  one  book  and  ascribed  to  one  and  the  same  author. 

(e.)  As  to  the  passage  in  Matthew's  gospel,  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  Evangelist  would 
hardly  be  likely  to  make  a  correction  of  the  Jewish  Canon  in  this  indirect  manner,  without 
giving  some  intimation  to  that  effect.  "  The  uniform  reference  of  these  chapters  to  Zech- 
ariah in  the  Jewish  Canon  is  much  more  difficult  to  account  for  if  he  did  not  write  them, 
than  the  verse  in  Matthew  is,  if  he  did  "  (T.  V.  Moore).  Moreover,  Matthew's  statement 
gives  no  countenance  to  those  who  claim  an  early  Zechariah,  for  he  explicitly  mentions  Jere- 
miah, and  they  who  plead  his  authority  must  take  it  as  it  stands,  and  not  bend  it  to  suit 
their  own  purposes.  So  far  then  as  the  present  argument  is  concerned,  we  might  dismiss 
this  citation  as  having  no  bearing  upon  the  question  of  an  earlier  or  later  Zechariah.  For 
a  full  statement  of  the  question  the  reader  is  referred  to  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary,  3609,  and 
to  Lange's  Comm.  on  Matthew,  I.  c.  In  my  own  view,  the  citation  is  not  to  be  explained  aa 
an  error  of  memory,  which  is  inconsistent  with  the  true  doctrine  of  the  inspiration  of  the 
sacred  penmen  ;  nor  as  a  textual  error,  for  the  existing  text  is  completely  established  ;  nor 
as  a  quotation  from  a  lost  book  of  Jeremiah  (Origen),  or  an  apocryphal  book  of  his  (Jerome, 
Eichhorn),  or  one  of  his  oral  statements  (Calovius),  or  from  a  genuine  work  of  Jeremiah 
from  which  the  Jews  have  expunged  this  passage  (Eusebius),  since  all  of  these  suppositions 
are  as  destitute  of  probability  as  they  are  of  proof;  nor  by  the  theory  that  the  Evangelist, 
fusing  two  passages  together,  one  from  Jeremiah  and  another  from  Zechariah,  names  the 
joint  product  from  the  older  Prophet  (Grotius,  Hengstenberg),  for  this  is  extremely  artificial 
and  unlikely  ;  nor  by  the  claim  that  the  name  Jeremiah  was  purposely  substituted  for  that 
of  Zechariah  in  order  to  teach  us  that  all  prophecies  proceed  from  one  Spirit,  and  that  the 
Prophets  are  merely  channels,  not  sources,  of  the  Divine  truth  (Wordsworth),  for  this  would 
create  far  greater  difficulties  than  it  removes,  by  undermining  all  confidence  in  any  specific 
quotations.  The  only  remaining  view  is  that  of  Scrivener  and  Lightfoot,  that  the  Book  of 
Jeremiah,  being  actually  arranged  by  the  Jews  as  the  first  of  all  the  Prophets  (Bava 
Bathra),  gave  its  name  to  the  whole  body  of  their  writings,  and  that  thus  Matthew  wa» 
justified  in  naming  his  quotation  as  he  did.  If  this  be  not  acceptable,  all  we  can  do  is  to 
assume  an  error  on  the  part  of  one  of  the  earliest  transcribers,  or  to  say  with  Calvin,  Me 
nescire  fateor  nee  anxie  laboro.  But  however  this  citation  may  be  explained,  or  even  if  it  be 
given  up  as  inexplicable,  it  cannot  be  used  to  prove   that  the  authorship  of  the  second  pari 


ZECHARIAH. 


of  Zechariah  was  an  open  question  in  the  time  of  the  Apostles.  For  if  that  had  been  the 
case  we  should  have  had  some  other  evidence  of  the  fact.  Especially,  since  Matthew  makei 
two  other  quotations  from  Zechariah  (xxi.  5  and  xxvi.  31),  but  in  both  cases  follows  hir 
usual  method  of  quoting  without  name;  in  one,  saying,  "  which  was  spoken  by  the  Prophet," 
in  the  other,  simply  "  it  is  written."  But  if  he  had  really  held  that  the  second  part  of 
Zechariah,  although  inspired  and  canonical,  was  not  attributed  to  its  true  author,  would  he 
not  have  said  so  in  these  passages  as  well  as  in  xxvii.  9  ? 

(f.)  As  to  the  contents  of  the  chapters  in  question  the  objections  spring  from  a  misap- 
prehension of  their  exegetical  meaning.  Many  of  these  will  be  considered  as  they  arise  in 
the  course  of  the  exposition,  but  a  few  remarks  may  be  made  here.  The  mention  of 
Ephraim  by  no  means  presupposes  the  distinct  existence  of  the  northern  kingdom.  That 
name  is  used  to  designate  a  part  of  the  existing  population  just  as  the  corresponding  term 
Israel  is  employed  by  Malachi  (ii.  11),  whom  no  one  denies  to  be  a  post-exile  Prophet. 
Assyria  and  Egypt  in  like  manner  are  brought  forward  as  natural  and  convenient  represen- 
tatives of  the  heathen  foes  of  the  covenant  people.  Phoenicia  and  the  other  kingdoms  on 
the  coast  line  of  Palestine,  although  not  flourishing  and  independent,  were  certainly  in  ex- 
istence in  Zechariah's  time,  and  sufiered  under  the  victorious  march  of  Alexander  which 
our  Prophet  predicts.  The  difficulty  about  the  reference  to  false  Prophets  and  idolatry  is 
diluted  by  the  prophetic  peculiarity  of  representing  the  future  under  the  forms  of  the  past. 
As  to  the  Messianic  predictions  in  the  second  part,  they  are  a  pledge  of  its  genuineness, 
kustaining  as  they  do  the  same  relation  to  the  Messianic  allusions  in  the  first  part,  as  Isaiah'a 
later  predictions  on  the  same  theme  (xlix.,  liii.)  do  to  his  earlier  writings  (ii.,  ix.,  xi.).  When 
Zechariah's  main  object  was  to  encourage  the  people  in  carrying  forward  the  Temple,  he 
naturally  gave  special  prominence  to  the  brighter  side  of  the  Messianic  picture ;  but  after- 
wards when  his  scope  was  larger,  he  brought  in  the  more  developed  thought  of  one  who 
triumphs  through  suifering.  (^.)  In  xii.  11  there  is  an  undeniable  allusion  to  the  death  of 
Josiah  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo,  which  is  fatal  to  the  assumption  that  the  second  part  was 
composed  in  the  time  of  Ahaz.  Nor  can  this  be  successfully  eluded  by  assigning  chaps,  ix.- 
xi.  to  one  author,  and  chaps,  xii.-xiv.  to  another,  for  the  two  "  burdens  "  are  intimately  con- 
nected by  their  common  description  of  the  people  as  a  flock,  and  of  their  leaders  as  she^^ 
herds,  and  by  the  dependence  of  xiii.  7  upon  xi.  11.  But  if  the  six  chapters  form  one 
whole,  how  could  they  have  been  uttered  in  the  days  of  Jeremiah  and  yet  have  attained  no 
recognition  at  his  hand  ? 

(A.)  As  to  the  alleged  differences  of  style,  Pressel,  himself  an  opponent  of  the  genuine  - 
ness,  says  with  some  sharpness  that  the  man  who  professes  to  see  such  a  contrast  that  he 
can  say  of  one  part  that  it  is  post-exile  Hebrew,  and  of  the  other  that  it  is  ante-exile  He- 
brew, must  have  an  ear  fine  enough  to  hear  the  grass  when  it  grows  I  Still  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  there  are  some  differences ;  yet  these  are  not  more  than  may  be  easily,  accounted 
for  by  the  difference  of  age  and  of  aim  in  the  author.  Zechariah  (ii.  4)  was  a  young  man 
when  he  composed  the  first  part,  and  was  possibly  quite  advanced  when  he  composed  the 
second.  The  first  part  is  in  large  measure  descriptive,  the  second  wholly  prophetic  ;  and 
there  was  room  in  the  latter  for  an  elevation  and  grandeur  which  were  not  called  for  before. 
It  surely  is  not  an  accepted  canon  of  criticism  that  because  an  author  writes  at  one  time  in 
a  certain  style,  he  must  always  use  the  same  in  any  subsequent  work.  This  reasoning  would 
(as  T.  V.  Moore  says)  make  us  affirm  that  Burke  could  not  be  the  author  of  the  Reflections 
on  the  French  Revolution,  because  he  wrote  the  TreatUe  on  the  Sublime  and  Beautiful,  which 
is  as  simple  and  subdued  as  the  former  is  impassioned  and  brilliant.  Moreover,  it  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  the  first  part,  which  on  all  sides  is  admitted  to  be  of  post-exile  origin,  pre- 
sents some  great  diversities  of  conception  and  expression.  What  can  be  more  unlike  the 
bold  and  startling  symbolism  of  the  night  visions  than  the  plain  didactic  utterances  con- 
tained in  the  two  chapters  (vii.  and  viii.)  which  follow  tbem  ?  Yet  no  one  has  suggested  a 
different  author  here.  Why  then  should  we  think  of  one  when  we  come  to  the  second  part, 
where  the  variation  is  certainly  no  greater  ?  A  word  may  be  added  respecting  the  depend- 
ence of  Zechariah  upon  the  earlier  Prophets  (see  the  citations  and  references  in  §  3)  as  evi- 
dence of  his  posteriority.  It  is  true  that  Kohler,  himself  a  defender  of  the  genuineness, 
declines  to  use  this  argument,  saying  that  it  is  impossible  to  decide  in  such  cases  which  is 
the  original  source  of  the  words,  phrases,  and  images  used.  But  the  point  is  well  taken  by 
Stahelin,  that  it  is  far  more  likely  that  one  Prophet  quoted  from  many  than  that  many  quoted 


INTRODUCTION.  l^ 


&T»m  one.  Indeed,  it  was  this  consideration  principally  which  led  De  Wettt  o  change  liii 
opinion,  so  tha,  after  having  delared  for  two  authors  of  Zechariah  in  three  t  Jitions  of  liii 
Introduction,  he  returned  to  the  traditionary  view  in  the  fourth. 

(i.)  The  adverse  theory  claims  that  the  compilers  of  the  Canon  found  these  sii  :;hapters 
either  together  or  in  parts,  floating  around  as  a  part  of  the  inspired  literature  of  tie  nation 
and  generally  recognized  as  such,  but  without  having  the  name  of  any  author  prefixed ;  and 
that  by  mistake  they  put  them  in  connection  with  the  acknowledged  prophecies  of  Zechariah. 
Here,  it  may  be  urged  in  reply,  is  an  exceedingly  improbable  supposition  at  the  outset.  All 
the  prophetical  writings  of  the  Old  Testament  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge  state  in 
each  case  at  the  beginning  the  name  of  the  author.  This  is  true  of  the  twelve  Minor 
Prophets,  of  the  Books  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  Ezekiel,  and  of  the  particular  prophetic 
visions  of  Daniel  (vii.  1  ;  viii.  1  ;  ix.  1,  2  ;  x.  1).  This  was  not  the  case  with  the  histories 
of  Scripture,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  these,  whether  because  they  were  drawn  from  the 
archives  of  the  nation,  or  because  they  bore  intrinsic  evidence  of  their  correctness,  did  not 
require  to  be  authenticated  by  the  authors'  names.  But  prophecy  had  its  entire  value  in  its 
divine  inspiration,  and  its  human  author  must  furnish  in  his  name  and  personality  the  evi- 
dence that  he  stood  in  such  a  relation  to  God  as  to  be  made  by  Him  a  channel  of  revelation. 
This  then  being  the  case,  it  is  wholly  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  an  anonymous  prophecy 
was  current  among  the  Jews  at  the  time  when  the  Canon  was  made.  On  the  contrary  we 
are  justified  in  holding  that  Jiad  such  a  nameless  work  come  before  the  compilers,  they 
would  have  rejected  it  as  on  its  face  spurious. 

(J.)  The  testimony  of  the  Jews  on  this  subject  is  unanimous.  Not  only  the  learned 
scribes  in  the  days  of  Ezra  and  afterwards  who  compiled  the  Canon,  but  the  schools  of 
Hillel  and  Shammai  who  flourished  in  Jerusalem  just  before  and  after  the  time  of  our  Lord, 
the  great  Jewish  Seminaries  of  Tiberias  and  Babylon,  the  authors  of  the  Targums,  and  the 
continuous  series  of  learned  Rabbins  down  to  the  Reformation,  all  with  one  consent,  accept 
the  Book  of  Zechariah  just  as  it  stands  in  the  Old  Testament  as  the  product  of  one  man, 
the  contemporary  of  Haggai  and  Zerubbabel.  Of  the  learning  of  these  men  there  can  be 
no  question.  They  were  as  well  able  to  judge  questions  of  evidence,  internal  or  external, 
as  any  modern  critic.  They  were  notorious  for  their  extreme  jealousy  for  the  integrity  of 
the  sacred  writings.  Their  absolute  silence  as  to  any  diversity  of  authorship  is  wholly  in- 
explicable, if  the  apparent  indications  of  that  fact  have  anything  like  the  degree  of  streno-th 
and  clearness  which  is  claimed  by  the  opponents  of  the  traditional  view. 

Mr.  Perowne,  the  author  of  the  article  on  Zechariah  in  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary,  con 
eludes  a  review  of  the  whole  argument,  with  the  remark,  "  It  is  not  easy  to  say  which  way 
the  weight  of  evidence  preponderates."  I  cannot  agree  with  this  opinion.  Of  course  it 
would  be  idle  to  say  that  there  is  no  ground  for  suspecting  the  preexile  date  of  the  chapters 
in  question.  Too  many  critics  of  various  countries  and  of  different  shades  of  theological 
opinion,  have  agreed  in  adopting  this  view  to  warrant  its  contemptuous  rejection.  At  the 
same  time  a  careful  review  of  the  case  justifies  the  immemorial  historical  tradition.  No 
dates  are  given,  because  none  were  needed,  the  entire  outlook  being  on  the  distant  future. 
The  author's  name  is  not  once  mentioned  ;  but  the  same  is  true  of  the  later  prophecies  of 
Isaiah,  the  twenty-six  brilliant  chapters  which  close  the  book.  The  northern  kingdom  is 
not  mentioned  in  the  last  three  chapters,  while  it  does  occur  in  the  three  preceding ;  but  if 
its  mention  in  the  latter  has  no  historical  significance,  its  omission  in  the  former  need  have 
none.  The  efforts  made  to  explain  particular  predictions  by  occurrences  in  Hebrew  history 
prior  to  the  Captivity,  have  totally  failed,  as  e.  g.,  the  conquest  of  the  sea-coast  (ix.  1-8), 
the  victory  over  Javan  (ix.  13-17),  the  feeding  of  the  flock  of  slaughter  (xi.),  the  general 
repentance  (xii.  10-14),  or  the  inward  purity  and  universal  ascendancy  of  Judah  (xiv.  16- 
21).  But  most  of  these  can  be  very  satisfactorily  shown  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  period  be- 
tween the  restoration  from  Babylon  and  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church  ;  and  any 
others  may  safely  bfc  considered  as  belonging  to  the  as  yet  unfulfilled  purposes  of  the  Most 
High.  What  then  is  there  startUng  in  the  thought  that  Zechariah  in  the  later  years  of  life, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  same  inspiration  which  undeniably  vouchsafed  to  him  the  night- 
visions,  proceeded  to  record  these  two  oracles  or  burdens  sketching  in  outline  the  future  for- 
■jines  of  the  people  of  God,  exhibiting  their  struggles  and  triumphs,  their  sins  and  puriflca 
uon,  and  especially  their  Priest-king,  not  merely  in  his  wide  and  peaceful  r<ign,  but  also  i: 
iJie  rejection,  humiliation,  and  sacrifice  by  which  that  reign  is  procured  ?     Then,  since  w 


It)  ZECHARIAII. 


know  that  Jeremiah  on  one  occasion  by  divine  command  (xxxvi.  2)  reduced  to  writing  all  the 
prophecies  of  his  preceding  ministry,  why  might  not  Zechariah  have  done  the  same  thing, 
making  one  complete  record  of  all  that  the  Lord  had  seen  fit  to  reveal  by  him  ? 

Furthermore,  let  the  reader  compare  the  course  of  thought  in  the  eight  night  visions  and 
their  appendix  with  that  of  the  second  part,  and  he  will  hardly  fail  to  see  a  surprising  coinci- 
dence in  the  general  scope,  whatever  may  be  the  variations  in  detail.  There  are  the  same 
promises  of  increase  and  enlargement,  of  protection  and  security,  of  overthrow  of  foes,  of 
removal  of  iniquity,  of  effusion  of  the  Spirit,  of  the  punishment  of  the  incorrigible,  and  of 
tliu  final  ingathering  of  f;ir-otf  peoples.  This  is  apparent  from  a  glance  at  the  contents  of 
the  respective  sections  as  given  in  §  5,  but  is  still  more  evident  upon  a  careful  continuous 
reading  of  each  part  with  the  attention  fixed  upon  the  order  of  thought  and  its  general  ex- 
pression. As  to  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea,  the  lowly  and  peaceful  rider  upon 
an  ass's  foal  (ch.  ix.  9)  is  quite  in  harmony  with  the  repeated  use  in  the  former  part  (iii.  8  , 
vi.  12)  of  the  modest  term  "  branch  "  (=  sucker,  shoot).  And  although  the  later  chapters 
contain  a  revelation  of  suffering  in  the  good  shepherd,  of  which  there  is  no  hint  in  the 
earlier,  yet  this  is  just  what  we  should  expect  from  the  analogy  of  Isaiah,  where  we  have 
the  king  and  the  kingdom,  the  branch  and  the  glory  in  the  earlier  prophecies,  but  no  indi- 
cation of  the  solitary,  patient,  wronged,  and  martyred  sufferer  till  we  reach  the  later  por- 
tion. It  seems  to  have  been  the  purpose  of  the  Most  High  to  give  full  force  and  sweep  to 
the  brighter  and  more  glowing  anticipations  of  Messiah's  character  and  course,  and  after 
this  preparation,  to  disclose  the  darker  outlines  of  his  extraordinary  career.  And  if,  as  seems 
probable,  the  second  part  of  Zechariah  was  issued  at  an  advanced  period  of  his  life,  when  the 
restored  exiles  had  outlived  their  early  trials,  and  were  firmly  established  on  their  ancestral 
soil,  their  situation  would  admit  of  a  distinct  reference  to  the  suffering  Messiah  which  would 
have  been  unsuitable  at  an  earlier  period  when  it  was  particularly  required  that  they  should 
be  consoled  and  animated. 

§   7.     The  alleged  Influence  of  the  Persian  Theology. 

That  Zechariah  shows  in  the  style  and  form  of  his  writings  traces  of  his  early  Chaldaean 
education  has  long  been  admitted,  and  the  only  matter  of  surprise  is  that  those  traces  are 
not  more  numerous  and  palpable.  But  it  is  often  asserted  that  not  only  his  language  but 
his  thought  has  been  affected  by  contact  with  Ethnic  races  and  religions,  especially  by  the 
religious  views  of  the  ancient  Persians.  Thus  Mr.  Alger  says  (Doctrine  of  a  Future  Life, 
p.  132).  "We  have  unquestionable  proofs  that  during  the  period  from  the  Babylonish  Cap- 
tivity to  the  advent  of  Christ,  the  Jews  borrowed  and  adapted  a  great  deal  from  the  Persian 
theology."  Again,  he  quotes  (p.  141)  the  acute  and  learned  scholar.  Dr.  Martin  Haug^  as 
declaring  that  "  Judaism  after  the  exile  received  an  important  influence  from  Zoroastriani'sm, 
an  influence  which  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  of  angels,  Satan,  and  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  cannot  be  mistaken."  As  Zechariah  does  not  refer  to  the  resurrection,  it  is  only  the 
former  two  of  these  questions  which  need  to  be  handled  here. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  two  systems,  the  Hebrew  and  the  Persian,  substantially  agree 
on  these  points.  According  to  the  latter,  Ormuzd,  the  Principle  of  Good,  the  Fountain  of 
Light,  not  only  created  the  earth  and  man,  but  also  a  number  of  spiritual  beings,  some  of 
whom  stood  as  counsellors  around  his  throne  and  all  of  whom  were  engaged  in  his  service 
Over  against  Ormuzd  stood  Ahriman,  the  Principle  of  Evil,  the  instigator  of  all  wrong  and 
misery  and  death,  who  also  was  attended  by  subordinate  evil  spirits  like  himself  And  these 
two  essential  principles  stood  in  eternal  conflict  with  each  other.  Here  then  is  the  doctiine 
of  good  and  evil  angels,  as  a  constituent  and  very  ancient  part  of  the  Zoroastrian  system, 
as  all  expositors  of  that  system  agree,  however  they  may  differ  on  other  points.  Its  antiq- 
uity was  at  least  six  centuries  before  Christ,  and  may  have  been  four  or  five  centuries  earlier, 
while  Dr.  Haug,  one  of  the  latest  scholars  in  this  field,  holds  it  for  certain  {Alger,  p.  141) 
that  Zoroaster  lived  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era. 
On  tlie  ground  mainly  of  tliis  early  date,  it  is  insisted  that  Zechariah  borrowed  from  the 
Zend-Avesta.  But  surely  this  position  is  not  tenable.  What  reason  is  there  wliidi  couipcN 
us  to  believe  that  either  borrowed  from  the  other?  The  Hebrew  system  clninis  to  br  ;i 
revelation,  begun  at  the  tall  of  man,  and  gradually  enlarging  in  the  scope  of  lis  diw  livm .  .- 
during  a  lonj;  course  of  ages,  while  it  narrowed  in  the  numbers  of  those  to  wliom  ii  \\ .  ' 
given  from  the  whole  race  at  the  first  to  a  particular  division  in  the  time  of  Noalt.  t><  ii  i-.i^ 


IKTRODUCTION.  17 


ticular  family  in  the  time  of  Abraham,  and  laetly  to  a  single  individual  in  the  time  of  Jacob, 
whose  descendants  constitiued  the  chosen  seed.  If  this  be  admitted,  what  is  to  hinder  the 
view  that  some  portions  of  the  primeval  revelation  to  Adam,  Noah,  or  Abraham,  may  have 
floated  down  the  stream  of  time  outside  the  channel  of  the  covenant,  and,  being  appropriated 
by  Zoroaster,  were  wrought  by  him  into  the  system  which  bears  his  name  f  Beyond  all 
question  the  tradition  of  the  flood  thus  descended  in  almost  every  direction.  It  is  surely 
not  unreasonable  to  think  that  other  traditions  were  transmitted  in  the  same  way.  But  ia 
only  one  instance  were  they  seized  by  a  man  able  to  retain  these  fragments  of  primitive 
truth  and  develope  them  into  a  complete  monotheistic  system.  In  this  way  the  origin  of  the 
Zoroastrian  doctrine  as  to  angels,  good  and  bad,  may  be  fairly  accounted  for.  But  if  on 
the  other  hand  the  postulate  of  an  original  revelation  at  the  beginning  be  wholly  denied, 
we  are  not  shut  up  to  the  conclusion  that  Zechariah  and  his  predecessors  borrowed  from  the 
author  of  the  ancient  Persian  faith.  For  if  Zoroaster  was  able  by  his  own  faculties  to  ex- 
cogitate the  system  which  bears  his  name,  why  may  not  the  same  power  be  supposed  to  have 
inhered  in  one  or  more  of  the  eminent  Hebrews  ?  On  the  plane  of  mere  naturalism,  the 
question  resolves  itself  simply  into  (me  of  mental  grasp  and  constructive  power,  and  on  whal 
possible  ground  can  it  be  claimed  that  Moses  or  Samuel  or  David  were  unable  to  do  what 
the  East  Bactrian  reformer  did  ?  Or  even  if  one  should  allow  the  preposterous  assertion  of 
Mr.  Alger  (p.  141),  that,  "  The  Hebrew  theology  had  no  Satan,  no  demonology  until  after 
the  residence  at  Babylon,"  why  could  not  Zechariah  himself  have  developed  thi's  interesting 
fact  of  the  unseen  world  without  Ethnic  aid  ?  He  was  the  heir  of  a  civilization  and  a  lit" 
erature  which  had  existed  for  centuries,  as  well  as  of  by  far  the  purest  and  most  spiritual 
monotheism  which  the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  was  certainly  in  a  condition  to  lend  truth 
rather  than  to  borrow  it. 

Nor  does  it  avail  to  say,  as  has  been  said,  "  How  often  the  Hebrew  people  lapsed  into 
idolatry,  accepting  Pagan  gods,  doctrines,  and  ritual,  is  notorious."  For  this  remark,  true  aa 
it  is,  does  not  meet  the  case.  The  people  did  frequently  fall  away  under  the  pressure  of 
temptation.  The  instances  are  too  numerous  to  be  recounted,  stretching  all  the  way  from 
the  calf  worship  instituted  by  Aaron  at  the  foot  of  Sinai,  down  to  the  weeping  for  Thammuz, 
and  the  chambers  of  imagery  which  Ezekiel  rebuked.  But  the  same  faithful  narrative  which 
informs  us  of  these  apostasies,  also  informs  us  that  they  were  never  regarded  as  anything 
else  than  departures  from  the  truth.  However  widely  they  might  prevail,  always  a  few 
■were  left  who  remained  faithful  to  the  covenant,  and  these  preserved  the  hereditary  faith  in 
tact.  Error  was  transient,  truth  permanent.  A  sure  evidence  of  this  is  found  in  the  Book 
of  Psalms.  The  human  authors  of  this  inspired  liturgy  were  many,  and  they  flourished  at 
widely  different  periods,  yet  the  theology  of  the  book  is  the  same  throughout.  The  earliest 
Psalm  and  the  latest  agree  in  every  doctrinal  sentiment.  Even  in  the  northern  kingdom 
where,  although  Jehovah  was  still  worshipped  (except  in  the  times  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel), 
idolatry  was  formally  established,  the  Prophets  who  officiated  in  that  kingdom  (Hosea,  Amos, 
etc.)  never  gave  place  to  the  prevailing  errors,  but  rebuked  them  with  the  utmost  vigor  and 
boldness.  There  is  not  a  single  instance  in  which  Hebrew  theology  was  shaped  or  even 
colored  by  these  outside  influences.  Its  authorized  expounders  with  one  consent  rejected 
every  suggestion  of  the  heathen.  Why  then  should  Zechariah  have  proved  an  exception  ? 
Why  should  he  violate  the  usage  of  a  thousand  years  and  accept  new  doctrines  from  a 
heathen  source  ?  The  very  fact  that  the  nation  previously  often  went  astray  in  whole  or  in 
part,  and  in  some  instances  for  a  length  of  time,  and  yet  never  succeeded  in  ingrafting  its 
errors  upon  its  own  literature,  renders  it  a  most  unlikely  thing  that  Zechariah  should  have 
turned  aside  to  borrow  a  heathen  superstitution. 

Again,  if  the  Prophet  borrowed  from  the  Persian  system,  why  did  he  stop  short  with  its 
doctrine  of  angels  ?  How  came  he  to  escape  its  grand  peculiarity  —  the  eternal  and  neces- 
sary existence  of  Ahriman  ?  This  is  the  answer  which  Zoroaster  gave  to  the  vexed  ques- 
tion of  all  theologies  and  all  ages.  Whence  comes  evil  ?  And  it  is  the  best  or  most  plausi- 
ble solution  which  unassisted  reason  can  render  to  that  perplexing  problem.  Now  if  Zech- 
ariah obtained  from  Babylon  the  idea  of  Satan,  he  must  have  become  familiar  with  the 
whole  doctrine  of  the  Persians  upon  this  subject.  How  came  he  to  take  just  so  much  and 
no  more  ?  Not  a  trace  of  dualism  appears  in  any  portion  of  his  prophecies.  True,  he  doei 
not,  like  his  illustrious  predecessor  Isaiah  (xlv.  7),  put  his  foot  upon  the  seductive  theory 
with  such  significant  words  as  these  :  "  I  form  the  light  and  create  darkness ;  I  make  peace 
wid  create  evil;  I  the  L0R1>  do  all   these  things."     But  he  ignores  it  as  contemptuously  af 


l8  ZECHAKIAH. 

If  it  were  unworthy  of  notice.  Yet  if  he  was  indebted  to  this  system  for  the  suggestion  of 
an  evil  spiritual  being,  the  adversary  of  God  and  man,  it  is  certainly  fair  to  «>ippose  that  it 
adopting  one  part  of  the  view,  he  would  at  least  have  hinted  at  his  rejection  of  the  othei 
and  more  characteristic  portion. 

Once  more.  All  the  circumstances  of  the  case  oppose  the  alleged  indebtedness  of  tlie 
Prophet  to  the  Zend-Avesta.  The  Jews  were  carried  to  Babylon  against  their  will,  and 
one  of  the  most  painful  features  of  this  compulsory  exile  was  its  interference  with  their 
religious  wci'ship  and  privileges.  They  had  no  temple,  no  altar,  no  sacrifices,  no  festival? 
no  solemn  processions,  nothing  but  the  law,  the  Sabbath,  and  at  first  the  occasional  voice  c 
a  Prophet.  But  they  appear,  with  the  exception  of  such  as  were  taken  for  domestic  service 
to  have  been  settled  together  as  a  sort  of  colony,  so  that  there  was  not  much  difficulty  ir. 
preserving  their  ancestral  traditions.  To  these  they  adhered,  seemingly  with  the  more 
steadfast  determination  because  they  were  cut  off  from  their  regular  forms  of  wor?-liip.  As 
Ewald  remarks  over  and  over  (Geschichte  d.  V.  /.,  iv.  passim),  they  became  entirely  self- 
centered,  their  thoughts  reverted  incessantly  to  their  past  history,  to  their  peculiar  position 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  to  the  singular  hope  of  a  Deliverer  to  come  which  lay 
at  the  bottom  of  their  political  and  religious  organization.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  of 
restoration.  Instead  of  being  hopelessly  dispersed  and  merged  among  the  nations  with 
whom  they  were  identified  for  more  than  two  generations,  they  survived  in  sufficient  num- 
bers and  with  enough  national  spirit,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  permission  of  Cyrus,  and 
return  to  their  desolated  ancestral  homes  and  there  renew  the  old  commonwealth.  The  sever- 
ity of  their  trials  only  endeared  to  them  the  more  their  former  faith  and  institutions.  A 
gleam  of  this  feeling  shines  out  in  the  touching  strains  of  the  137th  Psalm,  "  How  shall  we 
sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  ?  "  One  thing  is  certain.  There  was  a  complete  and 
surprising  change  wrought  in  the  whole  body  in  respect  to  idol  worship.  Before  the  Cap- 
tivity they  were  incessantly  falling  into  this  snare.  There  was  scarcely  one  of  their  heathen 
neighbors  whom  they  did  not  at  some  time  imitate  in  their  objects  of  worship.  It  made  nc 
difference  who  presented  the  temptation  or  what  was  its  particular  nature,  they  were  always 
ready  to  exchange  the  glory  of  the  uncorruptible  God  for  a  lie,  and  bow  down  to  the  objects 
their  own  hands  had  made.  But  after  the  Captivity  all  this  was  reversed.  Henceforth 
they  became  proof  against  any  such  allurement.  Nay,  so  far  from  going  of  themselves  into 
idolatry,  they  defied  the  power  of  any  ruler  to  force  them  into  it.  It  was  the  insane  fury 
of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  for  the  introduction  of  the  Greek  cultus  into  Judsea  which  oc- 
casioned innumerable  martyrdoms,  and  at  last  provoked  the  insurrection  of  the  Maccabees 
and  the  series  of  heroic  struggles  by  which  they  achieved  the  independence  of  their  country. 

The  question  then  recurs  —  How  is  it  possible  that  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  people,  an 
inspired  Prophet,  who  shared  in  all  their  intense  national  convictions  and  hopes,  and  who  as 
a  Jew  regarded  Gentiles  with  far  more  of  scorn  and  dislike  than  a  Greek  of  the  age  of 
Pericles  did  those  whom  he  called  jBap^apot,  —  how  could  he  think  of  improving  or  per- 
fecting his  theology  by  adaptations  from  the  views  of  uncircumcised  heathen  ?  Such  a  thing 
might  have  been  possible  (though  not  probable)  at  an  earlier  day,  but  that  it  should  have 
occurred  at  the  era  of  the  restoration,  is,  I  humbly  insist,  quite  inconceivable.  Nor  is  it  of 
any  avail  to  refer  to  the  acknowledged  excellences  of  Zoroastrianism,  —  its  pure  theism,  its 
fierce  hatred  of  idolatry,  its  elevated  morality,  and  its  doctrine  of  a  future  state,  —  as  if  these 
would  conciliate  the  favor  of  a  devout  Hebrew  and  incline  him  to  adopt  new  views  from 
such  a  source.  The  immemorial  faith  of  the  nation  was  that  it  had  been  chosen  by  Jeho- 
vah as  the  depository  of  his  truth,  and  therefore  had  express  and  immediate  revelations  from 
him  on  all  points  of  religious  faith.  As  long  as  they  held  this  conviction,  it  would  seem 
nothing  less  than  treason  and  sacrilege  to  borrow  doctrinal  opinions  from  any  ethnic  system, 
however  pure  and  spiritual  it  might  seem.  A  pious  Jew  could  not  admit  that  he  had  any- 
thing to  learn  about  reUgion  from  an  uncircumcised  stranger. 

§  8.  Literature. 

I.  Patristic.  Jerome  (f  420),  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia  (f  429),  Cyril  of  Alexandna 
(t  444),  Theodoret  (f  457),  all  treat  of  Zechariah  in  Commentaries  upon  The  Twelve  Minor 
Prophets, 

II.  Jewish.  R.  Salomon  ben  Isaak,  called  Jarchi  or  Raschi  (fllOS).  R.  Abrahair  ben 
Meir  ibu  Esra,  called  Abei.  Esra  (f  1167),  David  Kimchi  (f  1230).      All  these  with  ttie  Tar- 


INTKODUCTION.  Hj 


gum  are  contained  in  Buxtorf 's  Rabbinical  Bible,  Basle,  1618.  Kimchi,  translated  by  Dr 
M'Caul,  London,  1837. 

III.  Reformers.  M.  Luther  Ausleg.  des  Proph.  Zecharias,  Wittenberg,  1528  ;  Me- 
lancthon,  Comm.  in  Zeckariam,  Witt.,  1553  ;  Calvin,  Prcelec.  in  Proph.  Min.  ;  Tremelliu» 
and  Junius,  Bib.  Sac,  1579;  J.  J.  GrynjEus,  Comm.  in  Zech.,  Geneva,  1581. 

IV.  Later  Writers.  C.  Vitringa,  Comm.  ad  Zach.  quce  Supersunt,  1734;  B.  G. 
Fliigge,  Weissag.  des  Proph.  Zach.,  1784;  Venema,  Sermon,  in  Zech.,  1787;  Blayney,  New 
Translation  of  Zech-,  1787.  Besides,  in  works  on  the  Minor  Prophets:  Cocceius, 'l652 ; 
Markius,  1698-1700;   Archbishop  Nevvcome,  1785. 

^  V.  Of  the  PresExXT  Century.  F.  B.  Kbster,  Melelem.  in  Zach.  partem  poster.,  1818; 
E.  Forberg,  Comm.  Crit.  and  Exeg.  in  Zach.  part,  post.,  1824;  J.  Stonard,  Comm.  on  Zecll 
ariah,  London,  1824  ;  Hengstenberg,  Integrita  des  Sack.,  Berlin,  1831;  Christoloqi/  {?econd 
edition),  1856  ;  J.  D.  F.  Burger,  Etudes  sur  Zech.,  Strasburg,  1841  ;  M.  Baumgarten,  Nacht- 
gesichte  Sach.,  1854;  E.  F.  J.  v.  Ortenberg,  Die  Bosiandtheile  des  hir.h.  Sach.,  1859;  W. 
Neuman,   Weissag.  des  Sachar.,  1859  ;   Th.  Kliefbth,  Der  Proph.  Sachar.,  1862. 

In  works  on  the  Minor  Prophets:  Rosenniuller,  1826  ;  Henderson,  1830;  F.  W.  C.  Um- 
breit,  1845;  J.  Sehlier,  1861;  Hitzig,  1863;  C.  F.  Keil,  1866;  Prof.  Cowles,  N.  Y.,  1866; 
C.  Wordsworth,  18  70. 

In  works  on  the  Post-exile  Prophets:  T.  V.  Moore,  N.  Y.,  1856;  A.  Kbhler,  1860-65: 
W.  Tri'ssel.  18  70. 

In  Iiitn.diR'tions  :   De  Wette,  Hfivernick.  Bleek,  Stahelin,  Donaldson. 

In   <nli.-v  writings  :  J.  C.  K.  Hotl'man,    Weissagung  and  ErfiUL,  1841  ;   Schrifibeweis,  1867 
Reinkr,.  J>ie  Me.'.-s.  Wev^sagungen,  Giessen,  1859-1862. 


THE  PROPHET  ZECHARIAH. 


PART   FIRST. 

UTTERANCES  FOR  THE  PRESENT  TIME. 

Chapters  I.- VIII. 

I.  THE   INTRODUCTION. 

Chapter  L    1-6. 

A.   A  Call  to  Repentance  (vers.  1-3).    B.  Enforced  by  an  Appeal  to  the  Experienc*  of 

their  Fathers  (vers.  4-6). 

1  In  the  eighth  month,  in  the  second  year  of  Darius,  came  the  word  of  Jehovah 
unto  Zechariah,  the  son  of  Berechiah,  the  son  of  Iddo  the  prophet,  saying, 

2  Jehovah  hath  been  sore  displeased  with  your  fathers.^ 

3  Therefore  say  thou  '^  unto  them,  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
Return  ye  unto  me,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

And  I  will  return  unto  you,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

4  Be  not  as  your  fathers,  to  whom  the  former  prophets  cried,  saying, 
Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

Turn,  I  beseech  you,  from  your  evil  ways  and  from  your  evil  doings  ; ' 
But  they  hearkened  not,  and  paid  no  attention  to  me, 
Saith  Jehovah. 

5  Your  fathers,  where  are  they  ? 

And  the  prophets,  can  they  live  forever  ? 

6  Nevertheless,^  my  words  and  my  statutes,* 
"Which  I  commanded  my  servants  the  prophets,  — 

Did  they  not  overtake  ®  your  fathers,  so  that  they  turned  and  said, 
Like  as  Jehovah  of  Hosts  purposed  to  do  unto  us. 
According  to  our  ways  and  according  to  our  doings. 
So  hath  He  dealt  with  us. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  2.  —  The  collocation  of  the  verb  and  its  cognate  noun  renders  this  verse  very  emphatic.  Literally,  Angry  ml 
Jehovah  at  your  lathers  with  anger. 

2  Ver.  3.  —  The  vav  couv.  with  the  Perfect,  indicating  a  necessary  consequence  from  what  precedes,  is  rendered  In 

the  imperative.  —  CH  -S  does  not  refer  to  the  nearest  antecedent  "  fethers,"  but  to  the  prophet's  contemporaries,  im- 
plied in  the  pronoun  "your.'' 

8  Ver.  4.  —  The  Kethib  Qp'^j''^  yl7^  is  to  be  retained,  both  because  the  preposition  is  wanting  in  the  Kbil,  and  also 
because  the  latter  seems  to  have  originated  in  the  offense  taken  at  the  masculine  ending  in  the  plural  of  a  noun  feminine 
In  the  singular,  although  similar  cases  are  not  rare  (Green,  Heb.  G-ram.,  §  200  b). 

i  Ver.  6.  —  TfS.     This  word  is  very  inadequately  rendered  in  the  E.  V.,  by  the  simple  adversative  but 

J  Ver.  6.  —  "*prT.      Por  ^  precisely  similar  use  of  this  word,  see  Zeph.  ii.  and  Job  xxiii.  14. 

«  Ver.  6.  —  J^^'lETT.    The  marginal  rendering  of  E.  V.,  overtake,  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  text,  take  hold. 


EXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

The  main  design  of  Zechariah's  prophetic  ac- 
tivity was  to  administer  consolation  and  encour- 
agement to  the  people  of  God  still  in  a  condition 
■sf  weakness  and  suffering.     This  plainly  appears 


from  the  general  tenor  of  the  night-vialons,  from 
the  promised  change  of  fasts  into  festivals,  and 
from  the  glowing  pictures  of  future  blessednesa 
and  honor  which  occur  in  the  latter  portion  of  his 
book.  Yet  it  was  necessary  to  prevent  these  con- 
solations from  being  usurped  by  anj  to  whom  they 


22 


ZECHARIAH. 


did  not  belong,  and  to  show  that  repentance  and 
holy  living  were  indispensable  conditions  of  the 
attainment  of  any  of  these  blessings.  This  thought 
is  again  and  again  expressed  in  the  course  of  the 
prophetic  revelations  (iii.  7,  vi.  15,  vii.  7-10,  viii. 
16,  17,  X.  1,  2,  xi.  10,  xiv.  20),  but  it  is  made  es- 
pecially prominent  in  these  opening  verses,  which 
seem  to  be  a  kind  of  introduction  both  to  the 
prophet's  labors  in  general,  and  also  to  the  present 
collection  of  his  utterances.  In  them  Zechariah 
sounds  the  key-note  of  all  spiritual  religion,  a  re- 
turn to  God,  and  urges  its  importance  by  the  men- 
tion of  their  fathers'  sins  and  their  fathers'  punish- 
ments. 

Ver.  1.  In  the  eighth  month,  etc.  The  first 
note  of  time  does  not  mean,  "In  the  eighth  new 
moon"  (C.  B.  Michaelis,  Kohler), because  chodesh 
is  never  used  in  this  sense  in  chronological  notices. 
The  general,  introductory  nature  of  this  particular 
address  did  not  require  that  the  precise  day  of  the 
month  should  be  indicated.  On  other  points  in 
this  verse,  see  the  Introduction. 

Ver.  2.  Jehovah  hath  been  sore  displeased, 
etc.  The  mention  of  God's  wrath  is  the  ground 
of  the  summons  in  the  following  verse.  Because 
God  had  been  so  angry  with  the  fathers,  the  chil- 
dren should  now  repent  in  all  sincerity.  The  se- 
verity of  this  wrath  had  been  painfully  shown  in 
the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem,  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple,  and  the  bitter  exile  in  Babylon  (Ps. 
cxxxvii.).  The  contradiction  between  this  verse 
and  the  statement  in  ver.  17,  that  Jehovah  was 
"  but  a  little  displeased,"  is  only  apparent,  for  the 
latter  refers  to  the  duration  of  the  wrath,  while 
the  former  expresses  its  intensity. 

Ver.  3.  Keturn  ye  ...  I  vsrQl  return.  The 
exhortation  and  promise  contained  in  this  verse, 
often  repeated  elsewhere  (Mai.  iii.  7,  Jas.  iv.  8), 
are  remarkably  strengthened  by  the  trine  repetition 
of  "  Saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts."  The  occasion  of 
the  summons  is  not  to  be  sought  in  a  temporary 
abandonment  of  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  Tem- 
ple, for  which  there  is  no  historical  ground,  but  in 
the  spiritual  condition  of  the  people.  It  reminded 
them  that  the  mere  outward  work  was  not  enough, 
but  there  was  need  of  a  thorough  conversion,  a 
genuine  heartfelt  return  from  their  former  works 
and  ways  to  the  service  and  enjoyment  of  God. 

Ver.  4.  Be  not  as  your  fathers.  Since  nat- 
urally parents  are  apt  to  transmit  their  own  char- 
acter and  course  to  their  children,  the  prophet 
here  lepeats  his  injunction  in  a  negative  form,  bid- 
ding his  countrymen  carefully  to  shun  the  exam- 
ple of  their  predecessors,  who  had  utterly  scorned 
the  Lord's  remonstrances.  The  former  prophets 
are  those  before  the  exile,  and  Zechariah  inten- 
tionally overlooks  Daniel,  because  he  officiated  at 
a  heathen  court  and  not  in  the  midst  of  his  peo- 
ple, and  his  prophecies  treated  not  so  much  of  the 
inward  duties  of  Israel  as  of  its  outAvard  fortunes 
amid  the  mighty  revolutions  of  the  heathen  world. 
.For  a  full  summation  of  the  course  of  the  former 
prophets  as  here  set  forth,  see  2  Kings  xvii.  13-23. 
The  ways  and  works  of  the  earlier  generation  are 
called  evil,  in  the  first  instance,  because  they  were 
morally  corrupt,  but  also  because  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  sore  consequences  (Kohler). 

Ver.  5.  Yoir  fathers,  where  are  they?  The 
concluding  verses  of  the  section  sustain  the  warn- 
'ng  not  to  imitate  the  fathers,  by  pointing  out  the 
fate  which  overtook  them  in  consequence  of  their 
disobedience.  The  general  sense  is  plain,  and  ac- 
knowledged by  all  interpreters,  but  the  precise 
force  of  the  questions  in  ver.  5  is  variously  stated. 


Both,  of  course,  imply  a  negative  answer,  but  in 
what  sense  is  the  decease  of  the  prophets  men 
tioned  ?  Some  (Jerome,  Cyril',  referring  to  Jere 
miah  xxxvii.  10,  suppose  that  false  prophets  are 
intended  ;  but  the  persons  spoken  of  here  must  be 
the  same  as  those  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
verse,  who  are  manifestly  true  servants  of  God. 
Others  make  the  second  question  a  rejoinder  of 
the  people  to  the  first  (Rasehi,  Burger,  etc.),  whict 
seems  forced.  Others  say  that  a  contrast  is  pre 
sented  between  the  fleeting,  dying  prophets,  anc 
the  ever-living  word  of  Jehovah  (Calvin,  Grotius, 
Hitzig,  etc.),  as  if  the  meaning  were,  I  allow  that 
both  your  fothers  and  my  prophets  are  dead  ;  but 
ray  words,  are  they  dead  ?  but  the  latter  part  of 
this  contrast  is  not  found  in  the  text,  but  supplier 
by  the  interpreters.  Another  class  conceive  that 
the  point  of  the  second  question  is  to  remind  Z<  ch- 
ariali's  contemporaries  that  the  voice  of  pro])i.eey 
would  soon  cease,  and  therefore  they  should  heed 
it  while  they  had  the  opportunity  (Abarb.,  Ewald), 
wliich  is  a  very  natural  sense  of  the  words  if  they 
stood  alone ;  but  it  is  contradicted  by  verse  6, 
which  shows  that  the  reference  is  not  to  the  exist- 
ing, but  to  the  former  prophets.  The  true  view  is 
the  one  given  by  Kohler  and  others,  that  the  for- 
mer of  the  two  verses  contains  a  concession  which 
is  limited  and  corrected  by  the  latter.  Thus:  Your 
fathers  are  long  since  dead,  and  it  may  seem  as 
though  they  had  thus  escaped  the  threatenings 
pronounced  against  them ;  the  prophets,  too,  have 
gone  the  way  of  all  flesh,  and  apparently  their 
words  died  with  them ;  nevertheless  your  fathers 
did  not  die  until  the  threatenings  of  the  short- 
lived prophets  had  overtaken  them,  nor  until  they 
themselves  had  acknowledged  that  fact.  This  view 
is  sustained  by  the  strong  disjunctive  conjunction 
at  the  commencement  of  verse  6.  The  phrase, 
"  take  hold,"  in  E.  V.,  fails  to  give  the  force  of 
the  Hebrew  verb.  The  prophet  conceives  cf  God's 
purposes  of  wrath  as  commissioned  messengers 
which  followed  the  Israelites  and  overtook  them 
(cf  Deut.  xxviii.  1.5,  4.5).  Mournful  acknowledg- 
ments of  this  fact  are  to  be  found  in  Lamenta- 
tions ii.  17,  in  Daniel's  penitential  prayer  (ix.  4 
tf. ),  anu  in  Ezra's  humbling  confession  (ix.  6,  7). 
There  may  be  long  delay,  and  consequently  a 
growing  hope  of  escape,  but  sooner  or  later  every 
transgressor  makes  the  affecting  acknowledgment 
of  the  Psalmist  (xl.  13),  "  mine  iniquities  have 
overtaken  me." 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  opening  words  of  Zechariah  state  a  truth 
of  great  importance,  —  and  none  the  less  so  be- 
cause in  every  age  a  persistent  attempt  has  been 
made  to  deny  or  to  evade  it —  that  God  has  wrath. 
The  blinding  influence  of  their  own  depravity  ren- 
ders men  insensible  to  the  evil  of  sin,  and  they 
easily  come  to  transfer  their  own  views  to  their 
Maker  —  "  thou  thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether 
sueii  an  one  as  thyself"  (Ps.  1.  21).  Hence  thev 
attribute  to  Him  an  easy  good  natnre  which  read- 
ily condones  moral  offenses  and  is  quite  too  gentle 
to  give  effect  to  the  forebodings  of  a  guilty  coii- 
science.  To  set  forth  his  justice,  and  assert  his 
prerogative  as  governor  of  the  world,  is  regarded 
as  an  unwarrantable  disturbance  of  men's  peace 
and  an  impeachment  of  the  amiableness  of  the  di- 
vine character.  This  device  is  as  old  as  the  Apos- 
tles, and  Paul  exposes  it  with  his  usual  vehemence, 
"  Let  no  man  deceive  you  with  va^'n  words,  for  be- 


CUAPTEU   1.    1-6. 


23 


cause  of  these  things  cometh  the  wrath  of  God 
upon  the  children  of  disobedience  "  (Eph.  v.  6). 
God  has  wrath.  Nature  bears  witness  to  the  fact. 
The  earth  does  not  everywhere  smile  with  verdure 
and  beauty,  but  all  over  its  surface  shows  blots 
and  scars  which  suggest  the  moral  disorder  of  the 
race.  This  fact  has  been  set  forth  with  equal  elo- 
quence and  truth  by  Mr.  Huskin.  Speaking  of 
the  revelations  of  God  made  on  the  face  of  crea- 
tion, he  says,  "  Wrath  and  threatening  are  invari- 
ably mingled  with  love;  and  in  the  utmost  soli- 
tudes of  nature,  the  existence  of  hell  seems  to  me 
as  legibly  declared  by  a  thousand  spiritual  utter- 
ances as  of  heaven.  It  is  well  for  us  to  dwell  with 
thankfulness  on  the  unfolding  of  the  flower  and 
the  falling  of  the  dew,  and  the  sleep  of  the  green 
fields  in  the  sunshine ;  but  the  blasted  trunk,  the 
barren  rock,  the  moaning  of  the  bleak  winds,  the 
roar  of  the  black,  perilous  whirlpools  of  the  moun- 
tain streams,  the  solemn  solitudes  of  moors  and 
seas,  the  continual  fading  of  all  beauty  into  dark- 
ness and  of  all  strength  into  dust,  have  these  no 
language  for  us  1  We  may  seek  to  escape  their 
teachings  by  reasonings  touching  the  good  which 
is  wrought  out  of  all  evil ;  but  it  is  vain  sophistry. 
The  good  succeeds  to  the  evil  as  day  succeeds  the 
night,  but  so  also  the  evil  to  the  good.  Gerizim 
and  Ebal,  birth  and  death,  light  and  darkness, 
heaven  and  hell,  divide  the  existence  of  man  and 
his  futurity." 

2.  The  words  in  ver.  2  do  not  belong  to  the  mes- 
sage to  the  people,  but  were  delivered  only  to  the 
Prophet ;  and  they  disclose  to  us  the  internal  pres- 
sure under  which  he  entered  upon  his  office  (Pres- 
sel).  A  due  sense  of  the  power  of  God's  wrath 
lies  at  the  basis  of  all  true  earnestness  on  the  part 
jf  his  Prophets.  It  is  the  "  burning  fire  shut  up 
in  the  bones"  (Jer.  xx.  9)  which  imparts  its  own 
pehemence  to  the  message,  and  produces  corre- 
sponding conviction  in  them  that  hear.  We  ob- 
serve it  in  the  Prophet  of  all  Prophets,  the  Saviour 
Himself.  His  groaning  in  spirit  at  the  grave  of 
Lazarus,  his  tears  at  the  sight  of  Jerusalem,  show 
how  deeply  he  felt  the  terribleness  of  God's  anger. 
Bunyan's  Gi'ace  Abounding  alFords  a  remarkable 
testimony  from  his  own  experience.  "  Now  this 
part  of  my  work  I  fulfilled  with  great  earnestness, 
for  the  terrors  of  the  law  and  guilt  for  my  trans- 
gressions lay  heavy  on  my  conscience  ;  I  preached 
what  I  felt,  what  I  smartingly  did  feel,  even  that 
under  which  my  poor  soul  did  groan  and  tremble 
to  astonishment.  Indeed,  I  have  been  as  one  sent 
to  them  from  the  dead ;  I  went  myself  in  chains, 
to  preach  to  them  in  chains  ;  and  carried  that  fire 
in  my  own  conscience  that  I  persuaded  them  to  be 
aware  of." 

3.  The  Lord's  first  message  to  the  people  by  the 
mouth  of  Zechariah  contains  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  all  his  communications  to  fallen  men,  alike 
in  the  Old  Testament  and  in  the  New.  There  is 
a  command  and  a  promise,  each  comprehending 
in  itself  all  others  of  the  same  class.    Men  are 


summoned  to  turn  back  to  God,  and  then  He  en^ 
gages  to  return  to  them.  Alienation  from  God 
is  the  primary  sin.  Men  turn  away  from  theii 
Maker,  hide  from  Him  like  Adam,  or  wander  off 
like  the  prodigal,  and  of  course  are  dissatisfied 
and  wretched.  Having  left  the  fountain  of  living 
waters,  they  find  the  cisterns  they  hew  out  for 
themselves  to  lie  broken  cisterns  which  can  holr 
no  water.  No  matter  how  often  the  experiment  is 
repeated,  it  always  fails.  The  only  escape,  the 
first  duty,  is  to  turn  to  the  Lord.  This  duty 
would  he  difficult,  nay,  it  would  be  impossible,  but 
f(jr  the  gracious  promise  which  accompanies  it. 
God  is  found  of  those  who  seek  Him.  This  is  a 
truth  of  the  older  dispensation  as  well  as  of  the 
later.  The  father  in  our  Saviour's  parable  who, 
while  yet  the  wayward  son  was  a  great  way  off, 
discerned,  and  welcomed,  and  ran  to  meet  his  re- 
turning steps,  is  only  a  vivid  picture  of  him  who 
waited  to  be  gracious  all  through  the  history  of 
his  ancient  people.  Even  in  the  early  days  of  Job, 
Eliphaz  announced  (xxii.  21 )  the  cheering  assur- 
ance, "  Acquaint  now  thyself  with  Him  and  be  at 
peace  ;  thereby  good  shaU  come  unto  thee." 

4.  God's  providence  not  only  insures  the  ful- 
fillment of  his  threatenings,  but  compels  the  ac- 
knowledgment of  that  fulfillment  from  those  who 
suffer  it.  In  the  case  of  the  Jews  this  recognition 
was  frequently  uttered,  as  mentioned  before.  (See 
Exeget.  and  Grit.,  ad  Jinem.) 


HOMILBTICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

T.  V.  Moore  :  It  is  a  sign  of  a  sickly  piety 
when  men  are  willing  to  hear  nothing  of  the  wrath 
of  God  against  sin.  If  men  expect  God  to  return 
to  them  in  prosperity,  they  must  return  to  Him  in 
penitence.  The  flower  averted  from  the  sun  must 
turn  toward  it,  to  catch  its  genial  smile. 

Presskl  :  No  mercy  without  return,  and  no  re- 
turn without  mercy.  He  who  will  not  hear,  shall 
feel.  Haste  (eile)  that  you  may  not  be  overtaken 
(ereilt).  1.  Haste,  for  your  day  of  grace  is  short, 
and  even  the  messengers  of  grace  are  passing 
away.  2.  If  once  you  are  overtaken,  your  eyes 
will  open  too  late,  and  only  with  trembling  lips 
can  you  give  honor  to  the  Lord. 

Wordsworth  :  Zechariah  comes  forth  like 
John  the  Baptist,  and  begins  his  preaching  with  a 
call  to  repentance,  and  warns  the  people  by  the 
history  of  their  fathers,  that  no  spiritual  privileges 
will  profit  them  without  holiness,  but  rather  will 
aggravate  their  guilt  and  increase  their  condemna- 
tion if  they  disobey  God. 

Calvin  :  We  learn  here  that  the  examples  set 
up  as  a  shield  for  wrong-doing  are  so  far  from  be- 
ing of  any  weight  before  God  that  they  enhance 
our  guilt.  Yet  this  folly  infatuates  many,  for  the 
Papists  claim  their  religion  to  be  holy  and  irrepre- 
hensible,  because  it  has  been  handed  down  by  tbeif 
fathers. 


24  ZECHARIi^h. 


n.     THE  NIGHT  VISIONS. 

Chapter  I.  7- VI.  15. 

This  division  contains  a  series  of  visions  all  given  at  one  time  and  therefore  naturally  sapposed  to 
be  closely  connected  with  each  other  and  to  exhibit  an  orderly  progress  of  thought.  The  first  vision 
sets  forth  the  evident  need  of  a  divine  interference  in  behalf  of  the  people,  with  a  strong  assurance 
that  it  shall  be  vouchsafed.  The  second  indicates  one  form  of  this  interference  in  the  fact  that  the 
foes  are  driven  away.  The  third  promises  great  enlargement  and  absolute  security.  The  fourth  ex 
hibits  the  forgiveness  of  sin  which  had  been  the  cause  of  all  the  previous  troubles  and  endangered  the 
recurrence  of  them.  The  fifth  is  a  counterpart  to  the  fourth  by  promising  the  positive  communica- 
tion of  God's  Spirit  and  grace  which  secure  sanctification  as  well  as  justification.  The  sixth  gnards 
against  a  perversion  of  the  two  preceding  visions  as  if  they  warranted  security  on  the  part  of  the  im- 
penitent, by  exhibiting  the  fearful  curse  of  God  upon  all  sinners  of  whatever  class.  The  seventh  en- 
forces the  same  point  still  further  by  representing  that  a  longer  and  yet  more  dreadful  deportation 
than  that  to  Babylon  awaited  the  unfaithful  members  of  the  theocracy.  Finally,  the  eighth  completes 
the  entire  series  of  visions  in  an  artistic  manner  by  returning  to  the  point  whence  they  set  out,  and 
repeating  much  the  same  imagery.  It  shows  the  accomplishment  of  all  which  the  first  image  prom- 
ised. From  the  purified  and  divinely  protected  theocracy,  symbolized  by  mountains  of  brass,  there 
go  forth  executioners  of  judgment  who  do  not  stay  their  hands  until  God's  Spirit  is  completely  satis- 
fied. But  there  is  another  future  in  reserve  for  the  distant  heathen,  besides  that  of  judgment.  They 
are  to  be  converted  from  enemies  into  friends,  and  in  the  days  of  the  Branch  shall  come  from  far,  and 
freely  contribute  to  build  up  and  glorify  the  Lord's  holy  kingdom.  This  cheering  thought  is  exhib- 
ited in  the  shape  of  a  symbolical  action,  appended  to  the  visions  and  appropriately  closing  and  crown< 
ing  their  hallowed  disclosures. 


VISION  L    THE  MAN  AMONG  THE  MYRTLES. 

Chapter  I.  7-17. 

A.  A  symbolical  Representation  of  the  tranquil  Condition  of  the  Heathen  World  ana 
consequent  Need  of  Divine  Interference  (vers.  7-11).  B.  Intercession  for  Suffer- 
ing and  Desolate  Judcea  (vers.  12,  13).  C.  Assurances  of  Relief  and  Restoration 
(vers.  14-17). 

7  On  the  four  and  twentieth  day  of  the  eleventh  month  which  is  the  month  Sebat/ 
in  the  second  year  of  Darius,  came  the  word  of  Jehovah  to  Zechariah,  the  son  of 

8  Iddo  the  prophet,  saying:    I  saw  that^  night,  and  behold  a  man  riding  upon  «• 
red  horse,  and  he  stood  among  the  myrtles  ^  that  were  in  the  valley,  and  behina 

9  him  were  red,  bay  and  white  horses.     And  I  said,  what  are  these,  my  lord  ?  And 

10  the  angel  that  talked  with  *  me  said  to  me,  I  will  show  thee  what  they  are.  And 
the  man  who  stood  among  the  myrtles  answered,^  and  said.  These  are  they  whom 

11  Jehovah  has  sent  to  walk  through  the  earth.  And  they  answered  the  angel  of 
Jehovah  who  stood  among  the  myrtles,  and  said.  We  have  gone  through  the  earth, 

12  and  behold,  all  the  earth  sits  stUl^  and  is  at  rest.  Then  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
answered  and  said,  Jehovah  of  Hosts !  how  long  wilt  thou  not  pity  Jerusalem  and 
the  cities  of  Judah,  against  which  thou  hast  been  angry  these ''  seventy  years  ? 

13  And  Jehovah  answered  the  angel  that  talked  with  me,  good  words,  comforting 

14  words.     And  the  angel  that  talked  *  with  me,  said  to  me.  Cry,  saying : 

Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

I  am  jealous  ^'^  for  Jerusalem  and  for  Zion  with  great  jealousy, 

15  And  I  burn  with  great  anger  against  the  nations  at  ease. 

For  I  was  angry  for  a  little,  but  they  helped  forward  the  affiction. 

16  Therefore  thus  saith  Jehovah, 

I  have  returned  to  Jerusalem  in  mercv.^^ 

My  house  shall  be  built  in  her,  saith  Jehovah  ot  Hosts, 

And  a  measuring  line  ^'  shall  be  stretched  over  Jerusalem. 

17  Cry  also."  saying,  Thu.^'  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 


CHAPTEH    I.  7-17.  25 


My  cities  shall  yet  overflow  ^^  with  prosperity, 
And  Jehovah  shall  yet  comfort  Zion, 
And  shall  yet  choose  Jerusalem. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

i  Ter.  7.  -  -  tD3C7,  the  month  which  extended  from  the  new  moon  of  February  to  the  next  new  mtioii.  The  naiM 
■  Ohalde«,  but  of  uncertain  etymology. 

2  Ver  8.  —  n  ^^  vH  is  not  accusative  of  duration  =  by  night,  for  which  there  is  no  other  example,  but  the  or  that 
nljht,  namely,  that  of  the  day  mentioned  in  the  preceding  verse. 

3  Ver.  8.  —  Thf  myrtles.  Kwald,  following  the  LXX.,  supposes  the  true  reading  of  D'^D"Tn  to  be  □'^Ttn,  as  in 
Ti  1,  and  rsnders  mntintains  ;  but  there  is  no  rpaison  for  departing  from  the  Masoretic  text,  and  the  relation  of  the  last 
Tision  to  the  fir.st  is  mie  not  of  resemblance  but  contrast. 

4  Ver.  9. —  "^2  has  been  transluted  in  me,  to  me,  through  me,  and  with  me.  The  last  is  more  accordant  with  usagt 
(Num.  xii.  8)  and  the  connection. 

5  Ver.  10.  —  Henderson  says  that  71337  signifies  to  comrjience  or  proceed  to  speak,  as  well  as  to  answer,  and  citef 
airo/cpiVofiat  in  the  New  Testament  as  used  in  the  same  way.  But  his  remark  is  true  neither  of  the  one  nor  the  other. 
The  reference  always  is  to  a  question  preceding,  either  expressed  or  implied,  or  to  the  resumption  of  discovirse  by  th« 
game  .':pe:iker  after  an  interval,  as  Is.  xxi.  9.     Of.  Vitringa's  remark  quoted  under  iii.  4,  infra. 

6  Ver  11.  —  Sits  still  is  a  fir  better  rendering  of  il^li?"'  than  the  bald  and  prosaic  derived  sense  adopted  by  the 
LXX.  and  the  Vulgate,  (caTOi/ceiTac,  habitatur. 

7  Ver.  12.  —  n3tt'  0^272117  nt  might  be  rendered  now  seventy  years  (cf.  vii.  3).  A  similar  combination  ol 
noun  and  pronoun  in  the  singular  with  numeral  adjective  in  the  plural,  is  not  rare.  See  Dent.  viii.  2-4  ;  Josh.  xiy. 
10 ;  Esther  iv.  11.  Nordlieimer  (§  890)  explains  it  as  referring  to  the  abstract  idea  of  time  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  to  b« 
due  rather  to  the  conception  of  the  various  years  as  a  single  period  or  cycle,  which  like  a  collective  noun  wotild  of  courM 
admit  of  a  singular  pronoun. 

8  Ver.  13.  —  D''Sn3.  The  Keri  omits  the  dagesh  in  Q,  but  some  codd.  in  Eennicott  have  the  form  E"*Q^n3, 
which  grammatically  is  the  more  correct-     It  is  not  an  adjective,  but  a  noun  in  apposition. 

9  Ver.  14.  —  This  verse  and  the  one  before  it  exemplify  one  of  the  infelicities  of  the  E.  V.,  which  renders  the  sam* 
original  word,  in  ver.  13  talked.^  and  in  ver.  14  communed. 

10  Ver.  14.  —  "'ilSUp.  The  pret.  means  not  merely,  "  1  have  become  jealous,"  but  "  I  have  been  and  am."  Qod'l 
iealousy  had  already  begun  to  manifest  itself. 

il  Ver.  15.  —  Flirst,  sub  voce,  with  great  plausibility,  renders  ^nT27  Intransitively,  "  they  exerted  their  power  "  with 
a  view  to  destruction. 

12  Ver.  16.  —  Q^^ni  occurs  only  in  the  plural.  To  translate  it  so,  therefore,  as  in  A.  V.,  while  apparently  mor« 
dteral,  is  in  reality  less  so. 

18  Ver.  16.  --The  Kethib  TTIp,  to  be  read  mp,  is  an  old  form,  found  elsewhere  only  in  1  King  vii.  23  and  J«r. 
xxxi.  39,  for  which  was  substituted  the  contracted  form  Tp, 

14  Ver.  17.  —  Tl27,  also  here  seems  to  express  the  sense  better  than  the  customary  yet.  The  Prophet  was  to  cry 
something  more  besides  what  he  was  told  in  ver.  14. 

16  Ver.  17.  —  n3!i^Sn   is  smiply  a  variant  orthography  of  nS^S^QH   (Green  R.  G.,  §  158, 3). 

I  nary  human  consciousness  which  that  does  to  the 
BXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL.  condition  of  sleep.     A  man's  usual  state  when  un- 

I  der  the  control  of  the  senses  and  able  to  see  only 
Ver.  7.  The  dale  of  this  revelation  is  from  three  I  what  his  own  faculties  discover,  is  one  of  spiritual 
to  four  months  after  Zechariah's  first  prophecy '  sleep ;  but  an  ecstatic  condition,  in  which  the 
and  exactly  two  months  after  Haggai's  last,  name- 1  senses  and  the  entire  lower  life  are  quiescent,  and 
ly,  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  eleventh  only  pictures  of  divine  objects  are  reflected  in  the 
month,  Shebat,  our  February,  of  the  year  519.  |  soul  as  in  a  pure  and  bright  mirror,  is  one  of  spir- 
The  precise  day  of  the  month,  here  and  in  Hag- [  itual  waking.  The  Prophet  received  his  visions 
gai  ii.  10-20,  seems  to  have  been  suggested  by  the  j  at  niijht.  because  then  his  susceptibility  for  divine 
fact  that  on  just  this  day  of  the  sixth  month  the  |  communications  was  most  lively,  in  consequence 
building  of  the  Temple  had  been  resumed  (Hag.  ]  of  the  stillness,  the  suspension  of  worldly  cares  and 


14,  15).  The  Lord  thus  indicated  his  pleasure 
in  the  resumption  of  the  work.  The  visions  are 
called  the  word  of  Jehovah,  because  they  had 
the  significance  and  answered  the  purpose  of  oral 
revelations. 

Ver.  8.  I  saw  that  night.  The  disclosure  was 
made  to  the  Prophet,  not  in  a  dream  (Ewald,  Hit- 
lig),  but  in  a  vision.  His  senses  were  not  locked 
in  sleep,  but  like  Peter  at  Joppa  (Acts  x.  10,  xi. 
4)  he  was  iv  iKcrrdafi.  Tliis  trance-like  condition, 
fc'icording  to  iv.  1,  bears  the  same  relation  to  ordi- 


the  freedom  from  outward  iniprussions.  In  the 
space  of  one  night  the  whole  series  of  stately  sym- 
bolic scenes  passed  before  his  spiritual  eye,  for  the 
title  in  ver.  7  extends  to  the  end  of  chap.  vi.  after 
which  a  new  title  first  occurs,  and  besides,  the  nar- 
rative itself  shows  (ii.  1  ;  iv.  1,  etc.)  ihat  as  soon 
as  one  vision  ended  another  began.  Behold,  a 
man  riding  upon  a  red  horse,  etc.  A  man,  i.  e., 
one  in  the  shape  or  appearance  of  a  man,  for  mani- 
festly an  angel  and  not  a  human  being  is  intended 
He  is  seated   upon  a  red  i  orse,  the  meaning  o( 


26 


ZECHARIAH. 


which  is  seen  in  the  foct  that  red  is  the  color  of 
blood.  In  Rev.  vi.  4,  it  is  a  rider  on  a  red  horse 
who  receives  a  great  sword  and  has  power  to  take 
peace  from  the  earth  and  cause  men  to  kill  one  an- 
other. The  color  of  the  horse  then  is  a  symbol 
of  the  purpose  of  its  rider  namely,  wrath  and 
bloodshed.    He  stood  amon.u;  the  myrtles  that  were 

in  r!;  V'ip.  The  meaning  of  this  word  is  much 
contested.  The  Vulgate  gives  it  in  profunda,  which 
supposes  that   the  text   is  only  another  form  of 

n^.^r^%  which   ordinarily  means   the   depths  of 

the  sea.  Hengstenbcrg  and  Baumgarten  adopt 
this,  and  explain  it  as  a  symbolical  designation  of 
the  ai)yss-like  power  of  the  world,  in  which  the 
Church  stands  like  a  feeble,  lowly  shrub.  Others 
(Gesenius,  Henderson),  following  the  LXX.,  derive 

the  word  from  ^7^)  in  the  sense  of  shade  (so  Dr. 
Van  Dyck  in  the  New  Arabic  Version),  but  in  this 
case  we  should  expect  a  diiFerent  middle  vowel, 
and  besides,  as  Pressel  says,  it  would  be  a  pleonasm 
to  speak  of  trees  in  a  shady  place.  Others  (Hit- 
zig,  Fiirst,  Bunsen),  following  an  Arabic  analogy, 
render  it  tent,  by  which  they  suppose  heaven  is 
intended,  but  this  is  extremely  artificial.  There 
seems  no  reason  to  depart  from  the  Vulgate  and 
Targum,  or  to  make  it  other  than  =  deep  place, 
i.  e.,  a  low  valley  or  bottom.  It  will  then  stand  in 
vivid  contrast  with  the  corresponding  point  in  the 
eighth  vision,  which  is  the  complement  of  the  first. 
There,  the  chariots  start  from  between  two  moun- 
tains of  brass  =  the  theocracy  under  the  mighty 
protection  of  Jehovah  ;  here,  the  horsemen  issue 
from  amid  myrtles  in  an  open  bottom  =  the 
Church  in  a  condition  of  feebleness  and  exposure. 
Behind  the  first  rider  are  other  horses  of  different 
colors.  They  have  riders  (see  ver.  11),  but  this 
fact  is  allowed  to  be  understood,  because  the  em- 
phasis is  laid  upon  the  color  of  the  horses.  They 
are  like  their  leader  red  (explained  above),  or 
bay,  or  white.  The  last  like  the  first  is  easily 
understood  from  Scripture  usage  —  white  being 
the  reflection  of  heavenly  glory  (Matt.  xvii.  2), 
and  therefore  the  symbol  of  victory  (Rev.  vi.  2), 

But  the  second  epithet  is  diificult.  ~~lti7  is  ren- 
dered by  the  LXX.  :  \papo]  Ka\  woiKi\oi,  Vulg.,  varii, 
Peshito  versicolores,  after  whom  Maurer,  Umbreit, 
Keil,  etc.,  render  it  as  in  text  of  A.  V.,  speckled. 
But  Gesenius  and  Fiirst  derive  it  from  an  Arabic 
root,  signifying  dark  red,  and  Hengstenberg  ren- 
ders this  brown,  but  Kohler  haif  or  flame-colored. 
The  latter  ;^ives  the  better  sense.  The  colors  do 
not  signify  the  three  kingdoms  against  whom  the 
riders  were  sent  (Cyril,  Jerome,  et  al.),  for  all  ap- 
pear to  go  in  company,  nor  the  quarters  of  the 
heavens  (Maurer,  Hitzig,  et  al.),  for  the  fourth 
quarter  is  wanting  ;  but  the  initure  of  the  mission 
which  they  had  to  perforin,  namely,  to  take  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  agitation  of  the  nations,  those  upon 
red  horses  by  war  and  bloodshed,  those  upon  bay 
horses  by  burning  and  destroying,  and  those  upon 
white  horses  by  victory  over  the  world. 

Ver.  9.  The  Projihet  asks,  'What  are  these, 
t.  €.,  what  do  they  signify  1  The  question  is  ad- 
dressed to  one  whom  he  calls  my  lord,  but  who  is 
this  1  Manifestly,  the  one  who  gives  the  answer, 
the  angelus  interpres.  It  is  no  objection  to  this 
that  he  has  not  been  mentioned  before,  for  in 
prophecies,  and  especially  in  visions,  from  their 
Qraniatic  character,  persons  are  frecpiently  'ntro- 
duced  in  such  a  way  that  only  from  what  *hey  say 
i»r  do,  can  we  les-rn  who  they  are.     'J^his  angelus 


interpres,  or  collocutor,  had  for  his  sole  function  to 
open  the  spiritual  eyes  and  ears  of  the  Prophel 
and  cause  him  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the 

visions.  The  preposition  in  the  phrase  ^2  ~'?"^n 
is  not  to  be  understood,  with  Ewald,  Keil,  etc.,  ai 
denoting  the  internal  character  of  the  communica- 
tions made,  for  this  would  not  distinguish  him 
from  the  other  angels  of  the  vision,  but  the  phrase 
is  simply  an  official  designation  of  the  angel's 
character. 

Ver.  10.  And  the  man  who  stood  among,  etc. 
The  rider  on  the  red  horse  states  the  object  of  the 
horsemen's  mission.  He  is  said  to  have  answered, 
because,  although  not  referring  to  any  definite 
question,  his  words  were  a  reply  to  the  Prophet's 
desire  for  an  ex])lanation. 

Ver.  11.  The  riders  themselves  state  the  result 
of  their  mission.  This  is  called  an  answer  to  the 
Angel  of  the  Lord,  because  it  replies  to  a  question 
implied  in  the  circumstances.  It  is  given  to  the 
Angel  of  the  Lord.  But  is  this  a  created  or  an 
uncreated  angel  ■?  The  latter  view  is  maintained 
by  McCaul,  Lange,  Hengstenberg:,  Philippi,  and 
Kahnis,  the  former  by  Hoffman,  Delitzsch,  Kurtz, 
Kohler,  Pressel.  That  the  angel  of  Jehovah  is 
distinguished  from  the  other  angels,  and  in  many 
places  identified  with  Jehovah,  is  undeniable  (Gen. 
xvi.  7-10,  xxxi.  11-13,  xxxii.  25-31  comp.  with 
Hos.  xii.  4  ;  Ex.  iii.  2-4  ;  Judg.  vi.  11-22  ;  Zech. 
iii.  1,  2).  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  passages 
where  he  seems  to  be  discriminated  from  Jehovah 
(Ex.  xxiii.  20-22,  xxxii.  34).  The  simplest  way 
of  reconciling  these  two  classes  is  to  adopt  the  old 
view  that  this  angel  is  the  Second  person  of  the 
Godhead,  even  at  that  early  period  apjiearing  as 
the  revealer  of  the  Father.  The  mingled  clear- 
ness and  obscurity  of  the  representation  is  quite 
analogous  to  the  same  features  in  the  delineation 
of  the  Messiah  in  Pss.  ii.,  xlv.,  Ixxii.,  ex.,  and  in 
various  prophecies  before  and  after  David's  time. 
In  this  vision  he  appears  first  as  a  man  upon  a  red 
horse,  then  as  the  leader  of  the  troop  standing  be- 
hind him,  and  when  these  have  made  their  report, 
as  the  angel  of  Jehovah  who  presents  the  prayer 
of  the  pious  before  God.  The  answer  which  he 
receives  from  the  troop  is  that  all  the  earth  sits 
still  and  is  at  rest,  —  a  phrase  upon  which  Words- 
worth comments  as  denoting  proud  and  licentious 
ease,  because,  as  he  says,  the  word  for  "  at  rest " 
is  shaandn.     This  is  a  strange  mistake,  for  it  is 

another  word,  ntpPffi*,  which  rarely,  if  ever,  has 

any  moral  significance,  and  means  merely  quiet, 
peaceful  security,  without  reference  to  the  way  in 
which  that  state  has  been  attained  or  is  employed. 
Here  the  sense  is  that  the  nations  at  large  were 
dwelling  in  a  calm,  serene  repose,  undisturbed  by 
any  foe.  The  reference  seems  to  be  to  Haggai  ii., 
where  the  Lord  promised  that  in  a  little  while  He 
would  shake  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  na- 
tions, and  in  consequence  his  house  would  be  filled 
with  glory.  The  riders  now  report  that  having 
gone  through  the  earth  they  find  it  not  at  all 
shaken  but  quiet  and  serene.  This  statement, 
furnishing  such  a  vivid  contrast  to  the  prostrate 
and  suffering  condition  of  the  people  of  God,  gave 
occasion  to  the  intercession  recounted  in  the  next 
verse. 

Ver.  12.  How  long  wilt  thou  not  pity  Jeru« 
salem,  etc.  ?  The  language  is  that  of  interces- 
sory expostulation.  The  reference  to  these  sev- 
enty years  does  not  imply  that  that  period  pre- 
dicted by  Jeremiah  (xxv.  12)  was  just  drawing  to 


CHAPTER  II.  7-17. 


27 


a  close,  for  it  had  already  expired  in  the  first  year 
of  Cyrus  (Ezra  i.  1).  But  althoiijrh  the  people 
had  been  restored,  they  were  sstill  in  a  sad  state,  — 
the  capital  for  the  most  part  in  ruins,  its  walls 
broken  down,  its  gates  burnt  (Neh.  i.  .3),  the  pop- 
ulation small,  the  greater  part  of  the  land  still 
a  waste,  and  the  reljuilding  of  the  Temple  embar- 
rassed with  difficulties.  It  might  well  seem  as  if 
the  troubles  of  the  exile  would  never  end,  and  the 
more  so,  since  there  was  no  sign  of  that  violent 
agitation  of  the  heathen  world  which  was  to  be 
the  ])rccursor  of  Israel's  exaltation.  The  inter- 
cession was  effectvial. 

Ver.  13.  And  Jehovah  answered,  etc.  Here 
the  answer  is  given  to  another  person  than  the 
questioner.  The  best  explanation  is  that  of  Ileng- 
stenberg,  that  "  the  angel  of  the  Lord  had  asked 
the  question  not  for  his  own  sake,  but  simply  in 
order  that  consolation  and  hope  might  be  com- 
municated through  the  a»gdus  interpres  to  the 
Prophet,  and  through  him  to  the  nation  at  large." 
Good  words  are  words  that  promise  good.  Cf 
Josh,  xxiii.  14  (Heb.)  ;  Jer.  xxi.x.  10.  The  con- 
tents of  these  good  and  comforting  words  follow 
in  vers.  14-17,  the  first  two  of  which  assert  Jeho- 
vah's active  affection  for  his  people,  and  the  latter 
two,  his  purpose  to  manifest  that  love  in  the  res- 
toration and  enlargement  of  Jerusalem. 

Ver.  14.  I  am  jealous,  etc.  ^.;I7)  lit.,  to  bum, 
to  glow,  indicates  a  vehement  emotion  which  may 
have  its  motive  in  jealousy  (Num.  v.  14),  or  in 
envy  (Gen.  xxvi.  14),  or  in  hatred  (Gen.  xxxvii. 
11),  or  in  love    (Num.  xxv.  11).     The  last  ex- 

Eresses  its  force  here,  which  is  greatly  strengthened 
y  the  addition  of  the  cognate  noun.  Jehovah  is 
inspired  with  a  burning  zeal  for  Jerusalem  and 
for  Zion,  the  holy  hill  which  He  has  chosen  for 
his  habitation.  He  had  already  displayed  this  in 
part,  and  would  soon  develop  it  to  the  full. 

Ver.  1.5.  Toward  the  heathen,  on  the  contrary,  Je- 
hovah burned  with  great  anger.  This  was  partly 
because  they  were  "  at  ease,"  i.  e.,  not  merely 
tranquil,  but  in  a  state  of  carnal  security,  proudly 
confident  in  their  power  and  prosperity,  but  mainly 
because,  while  He  had  been  angry  for  a  little,  (".  e., 
time  (cf  Job  x.  20),  they,  on  the  contrary,  had 
helped  forward  the  aflaiction,  lit.,  had  helped 
for  evil, ;.  e.,  so  that  evil  was  the  result.  The  Lord 
contemplated  a  moderate,  limited  chastisement  in 
love,  with  a  view  to  the  purification  and  restora- 
tion of  his  people.  The  heathen,  on  the  contrary, 
rioted  in  the  sufferings  of  helpless  Israel,  and  would 
willingly  prolong  them. 

Ver.  16.  I  have  returned  ....  Jerusalem. 
The  emphatic  therefore  indicates  the  consequence 
of  God's  love  for  Jerusalem.  He  has  actuallv  re- 
turned with  purposes  of  mercy,  and  these  shall  be 
fully  executed.  All  hindrances  shall  be  removed, 
the  Temple  completed,  and  instead  of  scattered 
houses  here  and  there,  the  whole  city  shall  pass 
under  the  surveyor's  measuring  line.  But  the 
blessing  is  not  to  be  confined  to  the  capital,  as  ap- 
pears from  what  follows. 

Ver.  17.  Cry  also,  i.  e.,  in  addition  to  the  fore- 
going. The  other  cities  of  Judah  shall  overflow 
with  prosperity,  lit.,  be  scattered,  yet  not  by  an 
invading  foe,  but  by  the  inward  pressure  of  abun- 
dant growth  requiring  them  to  diffuse  themselves 
over  a  larger  surface  (cf  ii.  4,  viii.  4,  ix.  17,  x.  7). 
This  overfiow  of  blessing  will  assure  the  covenant 
people  that  Jehovah  is  still  comforting  Zion,  and 
has  by  no  means  renounced  the  purpose  in  pursu- 
ance of  which  he  had  oritiinally  chosen  Jerusalem. 


The  same  cheering  reference  to  God's  electing  lova 
is  found  in  ch.  ii.  12  and  iii.  2. 

The  object  of  this  first  vision  was  to  satisfy  thti 
dispirited  colony  that  although  there  was  no  pres- 
ent appearance  of  an  approaching  fulfillment  of 
promised  blessings,  yet  theNe  blessings  were  sure. 
Jehovah  had  appointed  the  instruments  of  hii 
righteous  judgments,  and  by  these  would  accom- 
plish his  purposes  upon  the  ungcdly  nations,  and 
thus  secure  the  salvation  of  Zion.  The  fulfillment 
then  is  easily  pointed  out.  The  completion  of  the 
Temple,  the  restoration  of  the  city  under  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah,  the  increase  of  the  population,  all  de- 
clared Jehovah's  fidelity  to  his  engagements.  But 
this  was  only  the  beginning.  Zechariah,  like  his 
predecessors  in  office,  looks  down  the  whole  vista 
of  the  future,  and  utters  germinant  ()redictions,  as 
Bacon  calls  them,  which  do  not  exhaust  them- 
selves in  any  one  period,  but  wrap  up  in  pregnant 
sentences  long  cycles  of  historical  development 
The  first  vision  presents  the  general  theme  of  the 
whole  series,  each  of  which  stands  closely  related 
to  the  others,  so  that  there  is  an  evident  advance 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  as  will  appear  in 
the  course  of  the  exposition. 


DOCTRINAL  AND  ETHICAL. 

1 .  How  near  are  the  seen  and  unseen  worlds ! 
Nor  are  they  without  sympathy  with  each  other. 
We  have  a  craving  for  the  knowledge  of  creatures 
higher  than  ourselves,  and  yet  fellow  servants  with 
us  of  the  same  Creator.  All  the  various  forms  of 
Polytheism  show  this  natural  longing  of  the  race, 
but  the  Scripture  satisfies  it  by  revealing  to  us  the 
existence,  character,  and  function  of  the  holy  an- 
gels. This  revelation  is  not  made  merely  to  grat- 
ify a  curiosity,  however  intelligent  and  reasonable, 
but  to  furnish  important  aid  in  the  conduct  of  life. 
It  pleases  God  to  employ  the  agency  of  these  su- 
pernatural beings  in  establishing  his  kingdom  in 
the  world.  "Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits 
sent  forth  to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs 
of  salvation  ?  "  (Heb.  i.  14.)  In  the  book  of  Gen- 
esis, after  the  call  of  Abraham,  we  observe  frequent 
instances  of  this  blessed  ministry,  guiding,  protect- 
ing, and  upholding  the  patriarchs  (xviii.,  xix., 
xxiv.,  xxvii.,  xxxii.).  Again,  in  the  time  of  the 
Judges  similar  manifestations  were  made  to  Gideon 
and  to  Manoah.  But  at  and  after  the  Captivity, 
their  interposition  not  only  resumes  its  former  fre- 
quency, but  is  manifested  on  a  wider  scale.  To 
Daniel  and  Zechariah  the  angels  are  revealed,  not 
only  as  watching  over  the  covenant  people,  but  as 
executing  the  counsels  of  Jehovah  toward  the  hea- 
then world.  There  does  not  seem  to  be  the  least 
necessity  for  attributing  this  circumstance  to  the 
influence  of  Chaldaean  or  Persian  modes  of  thought 
upon  the  minds  of  these  prophets.  They  follow 
in  the  line  of  the  earlier  traditions  of  the  chosen 
peo])le,  with  only  that  degree  of  variation  and  ex- 
pansion which  is  natural  under  the  altered  circum- 
stances of  the  case.  It  was  a  comforting  thought 
to  a  feeble  colony  overshadowed  by  a  colossal  em- 
pire to  be  reminded  of  superhuman  helpers  whose 
mighty  interposition  was  ever  at  hand.  Of  course 
even  these  celestial  beings  could  prove  efficient 
only  by  the  power  of  God,  but  their  intermediate 
agency  rendered  that  power  more  directly  conceiv- 
able. In  the  New  Testament  there  is  not  the 
same  prominence  given  to  these  "  sons  of  God ' 
(Job  xxxviii.  7),  but  enough  is  stated  of  their  min- 
istrations at  the  Incarnation,  in  the  wilderness,  thf 


1^8 


ZECHARIAH. 


garden,  and  the  sepulchre,  and  of  their  sympathy 
with  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  God's  people,  to 
make  us  leel  that  the  shining  stairway  which  rose 
over  Jacob's  head  to  the  clouds  (Gen.  xxviii.  12) 
still  exists,  and  is  traversed  by  the  same  holy  be- 
ings.    It  is  still  true,  as  Spenser  said,  — 

•'  They  for  us  fight,  they  watcli  and  duly  ward, 

And  their  bright  squadrons  round  about  us  plant. 
And  all  for  love  and  nothing  for  reward ; 
Oh  !  why  should  heavenly  God  to  man  have  such  regard  ?  " 

2.  The  extraordinary  position  assigned  to  the 
angel  of  Jehovah  in  this  vision  and  also  in  the 
one  recorded  in  the  third  chapter,  continues  and 
completes  the  long  chain  of  ancient  testiTnonies 
beginning  in  Genesis,  to  the  existence  of  self-dis- 
tinctions in  the  Godhead.     (See  the  summary  of 
the  argument  in  Lange's  Genesis,  p.  386,  or  Keil 
On  Pent.,  i.  184,  and  Hengstenberg's  Christology,  i. 
107  ff.,  iv.  285.)     The  view  that  this  exalted  per- 
sonage was  only  a  created  angel  through  whom 
God  issues  and  executes  his  commands,  and  who 
speaks  and  acts  in  God's  name,  was  favored  by 
Origen,  defended  by  Augustine,  adopted  by  Jerome 
and  Gregory  the  Great,  and  has  been  maintained 
in  our  own  day  by  some  eminent  critics  ;  but  it 
cannot  displace  what  has  been  the  almost  universal 
doctrine  of  the  early  Church  and  of  the  great  body 
of  believers  in  all  ages,  namely,  that  this  angel  was 
the  Old  Testament  form  of  the  Logos  of  John,  a 
being  connected  with  the  supreme  God  by  unity 
of  nature,  but  personally  distinct  from  Him.    The 
most  frequent  and  plausible  objection   to  the  old 
view  afiBrms  that  it  unreasonably  transfers  the  rev- 
elations of  the  later  dispensation  to  the  older,  and 
introduces  notions  entirely  foreign  to  Hebrew  hab- 
its of  thought.    But  the  contrary  is  the  case.    The 
Old  Testament  records  one  stage  in  the  progressive 
development  of  religious  truth,  and  the  New  Tes- 
tament another,  and  both  correspond  in  the  most 
striking  manner  to  each  other.   Indeed,  they  present 
what  is  not  found,  is  not  claimed  in  any  other 
book  in  the  world,  — a  complete  system  of  typical 
and  antit}T)ical  institutions,  events,  and  persons. 
This  feature  has  been  sometimes  pressed  to  an  ex- 
travagant extent,  and  applied  where  it  has  no  real 
bearing.    But  its  general  correctness  is  admitted  by 
all  sober  interpreters.     This  being  so,  if  the  tri- 
unity  of  the  divine  nature  is  plainly  set  forth  in 
the  New  Testament,  especially  if  the  great  revealer 
of  the  Father  (John  i.  18)  is  emphasized  by  evan- 
gelists and  apostles,  is  it  not  to  be  expected  that  a 
foreshadowing  of   so   important  a    truth  will    be 
found  in  the  elder  Scriptures  ?    Guided  by  such  an 
analogy,  it  was  neither  uncritical  nor  rash  for  the 
Church  to  conclude  that  the  being  called  the  Angel 
of  Jehovah,  the  Angel  of  his  Presence,  the  Angel 
of  the  Covenant,  in  whom  Jehovah  puts  his  name, 
who  is  identified  with  Jehovah,  who  performs  the 
peculiar  works  of  Jehovah,   and  yet  is   in  some 
sense  distinct  from  Him,  is  the  same  divine  person 
who  is  represented  in  the  New  Testament  as  the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express 
type  of  his  essence,  the  image  of  the  invisible  God ; 
in  whose  face  the  glory  of  God  shines,  and  in  whom 
dwells  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily. 

3.  The  intercession  ascribed  to  our  Lord  in  the 
Christian  Scriptures  was  not  only  typified  by  a  re- 
markable function  of  the  high-priest  on  the  great 
day  of  atonement,  but  was  actually  performed  by 
the  second  person  of  the  Godlicnd  long  before  his 
incarnation.  He  was  "the  lain))  slain  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world,"  and  the  merits  of  his 
priceless  otiJiation  could  as  well  be  availed  of  an- 


tecedently as  subsequently,  and  they  were.  In  ah 
the  affliction  of  his  people,  he  was  afflicted,  and  hii 
potential  voice  was  habitually  uttered  for  their  re 
lief.  The  returned  exiles,  who  were  laying  again 
the  groundwork  of  Judah's  prosperity,  were  dis- 
couraged, not  only  by  their  scanty  numbers  and 
impoverished  resources,  but  by  the  consciousnesa 
of  their  own  and  their  lathers'  sins.  What  claim 
had  such  as  they  upon  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  ? 
The  prophet  draws  aside  the  veil  and  discloses  an 
Intercessor  who  had  nothing  to  hinder  Him  from 
immediate  access  to  the  Most  High,  and  the  surest 
prospect  of  success.  How  long,  0  Lord,  was  the 
anxious  refrain  of  many  a  distressed  believer  in 
former  years  ;  and  ages  afterward  John  heard  the 
same  importunate  cry  from  the  souls  under  the 
altar  (Rev.  vi.  10).  Many  a  time  since,  solitary 
sufferers,  unable  to  penetrate  the  dark  mysteries 
of  Providence,  waiting  and  watching  for  relief 
from  sore  burdens,  have  had  the  same  exclamation 
wrung  from  their  lips.  What  with  them  is  a  burst 
of  impatience  or  the  utterance  of  exhausted  na 
ture,  on  the  lips  of  the  uncreated  angel  is  the  calm 
reminder  of  Jehovah's  gracious  promise  and  eter- 
nal purpose.  And  his  intercession  being  always 
"  according  to  the  will  of  God,"  is  therefore  always 
successful.  "  Good  words,  comforting  words," 
soothe  and  cheer  the  tried  believer,  until  those 
words  are  translated  into  deeds,  and  the  weary 
length  of  the  night  is  forgotten  in  the  brightness 
of  the  dawn. 

4.  Forbearance  is  not  forgiveness.  To  the  out- 
ward observer  in  Zechariah's  day  it  looked  as  if 
prosperity  was  all  on  the  side  of  the  heathen 
world.  Quiet  reigned  in  all  quarters,  and  divine 
justice  seemed  asleep.  But  it  was  only  the  calm 
before  the  storm.  God  is  eternal,  and  therefore 
never  in  haste,  and  never  slack  as  men  count  slack- 
ness. He  can  afford  to  wait.  Kings  and  rulers 
take  counsel  together  against  Him  and  his  Anoint- 
ed ;  with  malice  and  rage  they  help  forward  the 
affliction  of  Zion  ;  but  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heav- 
ens laughs  (Ps.  ii.  4).  "Who  thought,"  said  Lu- 
ther, "  when  Christ  suflfered  and  the  Jews  tri- 
umphed, that  God  was  laughing  all  the  timeV 
Since  He  knows  that  his  enemies  cannot  escape 
He  suffers  them  to  proceed  long  with  impunity. 
Often  He  uses  them  as  instruments  to  chastise  his 
own  people,  but  when  the  chastisement  has  been 
inflicted.  He  breaks  the  rod  and  casts  it  into  the 
fire.  The  quiet  of  the  old  Persian  world  was  soon 
broken  by  a  succession  of  strokes  which  scattered 
and  destroyed  all  the  persecutors  of  the  Church. 
But  Zion  lived  and  grew  and  extended,  until  she 
became  the  most  potent  factor  in  all  human  society ; 
and  to-day  is  lengthening  her  cords  and  strength 
ening  her  stakes  to  fill  the  whole  earth. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Pressel  :  The  Church  militant  does  not  stand 
alone ;  there  is  always  at  its  side  the  Church  tri- 
umphant. (1.)  It  often  appears  to  us  as  if  it  stood 
alone,  and  then  we  are  misled  either  to  despond- 
ency, as  if  our  labor  and  hope  were  vain,  or  to 
self-confidence,  as  if  the  result  depended  upon  oui 
running  or  willing.  (2.)  But  no,  the  Church  trt 
umphant  stands  at  its  side  and  watches  while  wt 
sleep ;  and  He  who  is  its  Head  and  ours,  brings 
our  prayers  before  the  Father. 

Moore  :  The  hour  of  darkest  «esolation  te  th« 
Church,  and  of  haughtiest  triumph  to  her  enenniee, 
is  often  the  very  hour  when  God  begins  his  work 


CHAPTER   1.   18-21. 


29 


of  judgment  on  the  one,  and  returning  mercy  on 
she  other. 

Calvin  :  When  the  servant  of  Elisha  saw  not 
the  chariots  in  the  air,  he  became  almost  lost  in 
despair;  but  liis  despair  was  instantly  removed 
when  he  saw  so  many  angels  ready  at  hand  for 


help  (2  Kings  vi.  17) ;  so  whenever  God  declares 
that  angels  are  ministers  for  our  safety,  He  means 
to  animate  our  faith.  At  the  same  time  He  does 
not  send  us  to  angels,  but  this  one  thing  is  enough, 
that  when  God  is  propitious  all  the  angels  have  a 
care  for  our  salvation'. 


VISION  n.    THE  FOUR  HORNS  AND  FOUR  SMITHS. 
Chapter  L   18-21. 


A.    Four  Horns  which  scattered  the  People  of  God  (vers.  18,  19). 
which  cast  down  these  Horns  (vers.  20,  21). 


B.    Four  Sniithi 


18-19  And  I  lifted  up  my  eyes  and  saw,  and  behold,  four  horns.  And  I  said  to  the 
angel  that  talked  with  me,  What  are  these  ?     And  he  said  to  me.  These  are  the 

20  horns  which  have  scattered  Judah,  Israel,  and  Jerusalem.     And  Jehovah  showed 

21  me  four  smiths.  And  I  said,  What  oome  these  to  do  ?  And  he  said  thus,^  These 
are  the  horns  which  have  scattered  Judah,  so  that  ^  no  man  lifted  up  his  head,  but 
these  are  come  to  terrify  them,  to  cast  out  ^  the  horns  of  the  nations  which  lifted 
up  the  horn  against  the  land  of  Judah  to  scatter  it. 

TiJk  fVkL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  21.  —  rTlS^pn   n  yH  is  not  an  aWt'lr'^  nominative  whicli  would  require  a  different  construction,  bat  to 
be  rendered  just  as  the  same  phrase  is  in  ver  19 
i  Ver.  21.  —  ^23,  supply  "1tt7N  =  80  that.     This  is  ;-.  rare  use  of  the  form,  but  it  is  allowed  by  nearly  all  critics. 

8  Ver.  21 ni"^**.     Prof.  Cowles  says  that  this  word  has  the  sense  cast  doum  to  the  ground,  but  none  of  the  is 

■tenoes  of  its  use  (Jer.  1.  14  ;  Lam  lii.  53,  etc.)  will  bear  a  stronger  sense  than  cast  or  cast  out. 


KXEQETIGAL  MUD  'JKITIOAL. 

This  vision  carnes  forward  the  assurance  given 
tn  the  one  before  it,  by  showing  the  provision  made 
for  repelling  the  foes  of  the  covenant  people. 

Ver.  1 .  I  lifted  up  my  eyes.  After  seeing  the 
first  vision,  the  Prophet  had  sunk  down  in  medi- 
tation. Again  he  raises  his  eyes,  and  behold,  four 
horns.  The  horn  is  a  common  Scriptural  symbol 
of  strength,  and  in  the  prophecies  usually  repre- 
sents a  kingdom  or  political  power.  Do  these 
four  horns  refer  to  just  so  many  kings  or  empires 
which  oppressed  the  covenant  people?  Not  a  few 
expositors  answer  in  the  affirmative,  but  they  differ 
widely  in  the  designation  of  these  opposing  powers. 
Cyril  names  Pul,  Salmaneser,  Sennacherib,  and 
Nebuchadnezzar ;  Grotius,  the  Persian  Kings,  Al- 
exander, Antiochus,  and  Ptolemy;  Pressel,  As- 
syria, Chaldsea,  Egypt,  and  Persia ;  but  the  greater 
number  refer  to  the  four- great  empires  predicted 
by  Daniel,  so  Jerome,  Kimchi,  Hengstenberg,  Keil, 
Baumgarten,  Wordsworth.  It  is  not  a  sufScient 
objection  to  this  last  view,  to  say  with  Henderson 
and  Kohler,  that  of  these  powers  two  were  not 
in  existence  at  this  time,  and  cannot  have  been 
ipoken  of,  because  the  hostility  described  in  the 
vision  had  already  taken  place;  for  the  vision 
might  very  well  have  included  the  future  as  well 
as  the  past.  A  m  >re  serious  objection  is  that  each 
of  these  destroyed  its  predecessor,  whereas  in  the 
vision  the  smiths  are  represented  as  distinct  from 
the  horns.     And  besides,  neither  the  Persian  nor 


Alexander  were  enemies  of  the  Jews.  It  is  better, 
therefore,  with  the  majority  of  interpreters  (Theod- 
oret,  Calvin,  Umbreit,  Hitzig,  Maurer,  Kohler),  to 
refer  the  number  four  to  the  cardinal  points  of 
the  compass,  and  thus  make  it  include  all  possible 
enemies.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  people  of  God 
had  enemies  on  all  sides,  the  Assyrian,  Chaldean, 
and  Samaritan  on  the  north,  the  Egyptian  on  the 
south,  Philistines  on  the  west,  and  Moabites  and 
Ammonites  on  the  east.  These  foes  scattered 
Judah,  Israel,  and  Jerusalem,  i.  e.,  the  twelve 
tribes  in  their  completeness,  with  special  mention 
for  the  sake  of  emphasis,  of  the  capital  city.     The 

objection  to  this  founded  upon  the  lack  of  HM  be. 
fore  the  last  substantive  (Keil)  is  of  no  force,  ai 
that  sign  of  the  definite  object  may  be  inserted  or 
omitted  at  pleasure,  Dent.  xii.  6  (Green  H.  G., 
§270  b). 

Ver.  20.   The  Prophet  saw  four  smiths.     The 

LXX.  render  D'^tt^^n,  TSKToves,  whence  our  E. 
v.,  "  carpenters."  The  Vulgate  gives  fabri,  which 
corresponds  exactly  to  the  Hebrew,  but  in  view  of 
the  work  assigned  to  these  persons,  most  exposi- 
tors render  the  term  smiths.  No  man  Lifted  up 
his  head  =  all  were  in  an  utterly  pro^5u*te  con- 
dition. To  scatter  it  =  its  inhabitants.  The 
four  smiths  simply  express  the  various  powers 
which  God  raises  up  and  employs  to  overthrow 
the  agencies  which  are  hostile  to  his  people.  There 
is  no  indication  in  the  passage  itself  what  these 
powers  are,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  need  to  seek 
information  elsewhere.     The  point  of  the  entire 


so 


ZECHARIAH. 


vision  lies  in  the  coincidence  of  the  numbers  of  the 
horns  and  the  smiths.  For  every  horn  there  was 
a  smith  to  beat  it  down.  The  Church  then  could 
rest  calmly  in  the  assurance  that  every  hostile 
power  that  rose  in  opposition  should  be  judged 
and  destroyed  by  the  Lord.  The  primary  refer- 
ence was  of  course  to  the  work  of  the  Jews  in  re- 
storinii'  the  city  and  completing  the  Temple,  but 
this  did  not  exhaust  the  meaning  of  this  very  sim- 
ple but  significant  symbol.  It  had  as  wide  a  sweep 
as  the  corresponding  verbal  statement  of  Isaiah 
(liv.  17),  "No  weapon  that  is  formed  against  thee 
shall  prosper."  Zion's  God  controls  all  persons 
and  powers  and  events ;  and  through  the  long 
tract  of  the  Church's  history  it  will  be  seen  that 
for  every  evil  there  is  a  remedy,  and  for  every  en- 
emy a  deliverer.  The  horn  will  arise  and  do  its 
work,  but  the  smith  will  also  appear  and  do  his 
work. 

It  is  worthy  of  observation  that  what  the  angel 
in  ver.  19  calls  "Judah,  Israel,  and  Jerusalem," 
he  calls  in  ver.  21  simply  "Judah."  So  that  here 
is  a  clear  and  indubitable  proof,  in  the  first  part 
of  the  Book  whose  post-exile  origin  is  unques- 
tioned, that  Israel  is  used,  not  to  denote  distinc- 
tively the  northern  kingdom,  but  merely  to  round 
out  the  view  of  what  was  left  of  the  entire  cove- 
nant people  after  the  restoration.  This  bears 
upon  the  similar  use  of  "  Israel "  and  "  Ephraim" 
in  the  second  part  of  these  prophecies. 


DOCTEINAL  AND  ETHICAL. 

1 .  The  Church  of  God  on  earth  exists  in  the 
midst  of  conflict.  There  always  have  appeared 
horns  which  attempt  to  scatter  it.  A  halcyon 
period  sometimes  is  found  like  that  mentioned  in 
Acts  ix.  31,  "  Then  had  the  Churches  [true  text, 
Church]  rest  throughout  all  Judaea  and  Galilee 
and  Samaria,"  but  its  normal  state  is  that  of  a 
struggle  against  numerous  and  mighty  foes.  The 
Saviour  came  not  to  send  peace  on  earth  but  a 
sword.  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  with  God, 
and  the  flashing  of  truth  upon  an  unregenerate 
conscience  must  needs  provoke  wrath.  Hence  the 
bloody  tracks  which  so  often  occur  in  the  records 
of  the  past.  There  has  never  been  any  consider- 
able period  since  our  Lord's  ascension,  in  which 
persecution  of  his  followers  has  not  existed  in 
some  quarter  of  the  earth.  Even  now  it  is  found 
in  the  remote  east,  in  the  Turkish  Empire  and  in 
the  Baltic  Provinces  of  Russia.  True  believers 
are  tossed  on  the  horns  of  furious  foes.  Their 
course  lies  through  a  storm  to  the  haven,  through 
a  battle  to  the  crown.  Let  them  not  "  count  it 
a  strange  thing "  when  even  a  fiery  trial  befalls 
them.  Such  an  experience  belongs  to  the  fixed 
purpose  of  God. 

2.  Conflict  does  not  mean  defeat.     The  very 
I  Toice  which  announces  the  gorj  horn,  sets 


forth  the  agency  which  is  to  crush  it.  The  char 
acter  of  this  agency  varies  indefinitely.  One  horn 
may  be  used  to  destroy  another  horn,  or  a  totally 
different  instrument  may  be  employed,  but  in  either 
case  the  result  is  the  same.  Such  an  equilibrium 
between  assault  and  defense  is  maintained  that  the 
Church  is  indestructible.  One  heathen  ruler  per- 
secuted, another  protected  and  restored.  So  in 
the  conflicts  of  the  early  Church  and  of  the  Ref- 
ormation, for  every  formidable  horn  there  was 
found  an  equally  formidable  smith.  Thus,  too, 
in  the  organized  attacks  of  Deism,  Rationalism, 
and  Scientific  Atheism,  at  first  the  air  was  filled 
with  the  shouts  of  victory,  but  the  rejoicing  was 
premature.  In  every  instance,  the  head  of  the 
Church  raised  up,  sometimes  in  an  unexpected 
quarter,  a  workman  who  needed  not  to  be  ashamed, 
who  successfully  vindicated  the  old  truth  and  put 
to  flight  the  armies  of  the  alien. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Jay  :  We  see  from  this  that  the  friends  of  Zion 
are  as  numerous  as  her  foes ;  that  her  defense  is 
equal  to  her  danger  ;  and  that  as  the  state  of  his 
people  requires  it,  the  Lord  will  seasonably  raise 
up  means  and  instruments  for  their  succor  and 
deliverance.  The  assurance  may  be  derived  from 
four  principles  :  the  love  of  God  ;  the  power  of 
God ;  the  faithfulness  of  God ;  the  conduct  of 
God.  In  the  first  we  see  that  He  must  be  inclined 
to  appear  for  them  as  they  are  infinitely  dear  to 
Him.  In  the  second,  we  see  that  He  is  able  to  do 
it.  In  the  third,  that  He  is  engaged  to  do  it,  and 
his  promise  cannot  be  broken.  In  the  fourth,  that 
He  always  has  done  it.  Scripture,  history,  and  ex 
perience  being  witness. 

Then  let  the  world  forbear  their  rage, 
The  Church  renounce  her  fear ; 

Israel  must  live  through  every  age, 
And  be  the  Almighty's  care. 

Calvin  :  The  Prophet  by  asking  the  angel  (ver. 
19),  sets  before  us  the  example  of  a  truly  teachable 
disposition.  Though  the  Lord  does  not  immedi- 
ately explain  his  messages,  there  is  no  reason  for 
us  disdainfully  to  reject  what  is  obscure  as  manj 
do  in  our  day,  who  complain  that  God's  Word  is 
ambiguous  and  extremely  difficult.  The  Prophet 
although  perplexed  did  not  morosely  turn  away, 
but  asked  the  angel.  And  though  the  angels  are 
not  nigh  us  or  at  least  do  not  visibly  appear,  yet 
God  can  by  other  means  afford  us  help  when  it  is 
needed.  He  promises  to  give  the  Spirit  of  under- 
standing and  wisdom.  If  then,  we  do  not  neglect 
the  word  and  sacraments,  and  especially  if  we  ask 
for  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  there  is  nothing 
obscure  or  intricate  in  the  prophecies  which  H« 
will  not  make  known  so  far  as  is  necessary 


CHAPTER  II.  1-13.  31 


VISION  m.     THE  MAN  WITH  THE  MEASURING  LINE. 
Chapter  II. 

A..    A  Man  with  a  Measuring  Line,  and  its  Meaning  (vers.  1-5).     B.    Further  Pronh 

ises  (vers.  6-13). 

1  And  I  lifted  up  my  eyes  ^  and  saw,  and  behold,  a  man,  and  in  his  hand  a  meas- 

2  uring-line.     And  I  said,  Whither  goest  thou  ?     And  he  said  to  me.  To  measure 

3  Jerusalem,  to  see  what  is  its  breadth  and  what  its  length.     And  behold  the  angel 

4  that  talked  with  me  came  forth  and  another  angel  went  forth  to  meet  him,  And 
said  to  him.  Run,  speak  to  this  young  man,  saying,  Jerusalem  shall  lie  as  open  coun- 
try "^  for  the  multitude  of  men  and  cattle  in  the  midst  of  her. 

5  And  I  will  be  to  her,  saith  Jehovah,  a  wall  of  fire  around, 
And  for  glory  will  I  be  in  the  midst  of  her. 

6  Ho  !  ho !  flee  out  of  the  land  of  the  north,  saith  Jehovah, 

For  as  ^  the  four  winds  of  heaven  have  I  scattered  you,  saith  Jehovah. 

7  Ho  !  *  Zion,  save  thyself, 

Thou  that  dwellest  with  ^  the  daughter  of  Babylon. 

8  For  thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

Ailer  glory  hath  He  sent  me  to  the  nations  that  plundered  you, 
For  he  that  toucheth  you  toucheth  the  apple  *  of  his ''  eye. 

9  For  behold,  I  swing  my  hand  over  them. 

And  they  shall  become  a  spoil  to  their  own  servants, 
And  ye  shall  know  that  Jehovah  of  Hosts  hath  sent  me. 

10  Shout  and  rejoice,  0  daughter  of  Zion, 

For,  behold,  I  come,  and  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee,  saith  Jehovah, 

11  And  many  nations  shall  join  themselves*  to  Jehovah  in  that  day. 
And  become  a  people  to  me, 

And  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee, 

And  thou  shalt  know  that  Jehovah  of  Hosts  hath  sent  me  to  thee. 

12  And  Jehovah  shall  take  Judah  as  his  portion  in  the  holy  land. 
And  shall  yet^  choose  -Jerusalem. 

13  Be  still,  all  flesh,  before  Jehovah, 

For  He  has  risen  up  from  his  holy  habitation. 

TEXTOAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  1.  —  There  is  nothing  in  Hebrew  to  correspond  to  the  "  again  "  in  the  E.  V. 

2  Ver.  4.  —  iTTtnS,  lit.  =  plains,  here  denotes  open  level  ground,  in  contrast  with  walled  and  fortified  cities.  Set 
ttie  full  expression  in  Ezek.  xxxviii.  11. 

8  Ver.  6.  —  The  various  reading  13  in  "^^3,  '^  sustained  by  a  number  of  MSS.  and  the  Vulgate,  but  is  inferior  to 
the  Textus  Receptus. 

4  Ver.  7.  —  This  verse  begins  with  the  same  inteijection,  "'in,  which  occurs  at  the  beginning  of  the  preceding  Ten* 
»nd  should  be  so  rendered,  and  not  confounded,  as  in  the  B.  V.,  with  the  mere  sign  of  the  vocative. 

8  Ver.  7  —  3tt?"",  construed  directly  with  the  accusative,  is  found  also  in  Ps.  xxii.  4,  2  Sam.  vi.  2. 

T    -'  ' 

6  Ver.  8.  —  n33.  The  prevailing  opinion  derives  this  from  2^3  or  D^^,  and  makes  it  =  entrance,  or  gate  to  the 
qre,  its  centre-point. 

7  Ver.  8.  —  The  reading  '^3"'^,  though  given  in  several  MSS.  and  sustained  by  the  Vulgate,  appears  to  be  due  to  • 
lopyist's  correction. 

8  Ver.  11.  —  The  reflexive  sense  of  the  Niphal  in  ^IvD  is  much  more  suitable  and  expressive  than  the  simple  pa>- 
Mre. 

9  Ver.  12.  —  "I'll?,  in  the  same  connection,  in  i.  17,  is  rendered  in  E.  V.  yet,  while  here  it  appears  as  again.  It  ll 
tatter  rendered  yet  in  both  places,  the  sense  being  not  that  Qod  will  make  a  new  choice,  but  that  He  will  demonstntf 
Igain  in  actual  experience  his  old  choice.     Ps.  Ixxviii.  68,  Ixxxvii.  2. 


82 


ZECHAHIAH. 


EXEQETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

As  the  second  vision  represented  the  destruction 
of  Israel's  foes,  the  tliird  makes  an  advance  by 
Bettinfj  forth  the  enlargement  and  security  of  the 
Covenant  people.  (a.)  Vers.  1-.5  contain  the 
symbol  ;  (6.),  vers.  6-13  the  fuller  explanation  of 
its  raeanintr,  namely,  the  despoilintr  of  the  nations 
(vers.  6-9),  the  indwelliiie:  of  Jehovah  in  Zion 
(ver.  10),  and  the  ingathering  of  many  nations 
(vers.  11-13). 

((/.)  JliP  Si/mbol  and  its  General  Sense  (vers, 
l-.i).  Vers.  1,  2.  And  I  lifted  up  my  eyes.  .  .  . 
what  its  length.  The  jn-ophet  sees  a  man  with 
a  measuring-line  in  his  hand  advancing  upon  the 
scene,  and  he  asks  whither  he  is  going.  The  an- 
swer is  that  he  is  about  to  measure  the  length 
and  breadth  of  Jerusalem.  This  man  is  not  to  be 
ideiititied  with  the  interpreting  angel  (Rosenmiil- 
lei-,  Maurer,  etc.),  for  the  latter  is  plainly  distin- 
guished from  him  in  ver.  3  ;  nor  does  the  passage 
furnish  any  reason  for  regarding  him  as  the  Angel 
of  the  Lord  (Keil,  Hengstenberg,  etc.).  He  is 
rather  simply  a  person  introduced  to  perform  the 
symbolical  action  of  the  vision,  and  having  done 
this,  he  passes  out  of  view.  His  mission  is  to  as- 
certain by  measurement  the  present  size  of  Jeru- 
salem, with  a  view  to  its  prospective  indefinite  en- 
largement. This  view  is  not  stated  by  him.  but 
is  clearly  to  be  inferred  from  ver.  4,  and  the  gen- 
eral tenor  of  the  chapter. 

Ver.  3.  After  the  measuring  angel  has  gone 
away  to  do  his  office,  behold,  i.  e.,  the  prophet 
sees  "  the  angel  that  talked  with  me "  coming 
forth,  i.  e.,  from  the  back-ground  of  the  scene,  and 
probably,  as  Kohler  suggests,  from  the  direction 
in  which  the  measuring  angel  had  disappeared. 
Before,  however,  the  interpreting  angel  can  either 
address  or  be  addressed  by  the  prophet,  he  is  met 
by  a  third  angel  coming  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. The  character  of  this  third  angel  is  not  fur- 
ther described,  but  from  the  tone  of  authority, 
"  Run,  speak,"  etc.,  and  from  vers.  8,  9,  it  seems 
not  unlikely  that  he  is  the  Angel  of  the  Lord 
(Neumann,  Pressel,  etc.).  There  are  no  data  for 
a  positive  opinion. 

Ver.  4.  And  said  to  him.  The  subject  here 
can  only  be,  whether  grammatically  or  logically, 
the  third  angel.  His  direction  tells  the  angelus  i'n- 
terpres  to  do  just  what  his  function  required.  This 
young  man  =  the  ijrophet  himself,  as  most  of  the 
earlier  and  later  expositors  conceive.  Zechariah 
is  thus  styled  because  of  his  age,  and  not,  as  Je- 
rome, Vitringa,  and  Hengstenberg  think,  because 
of  his  suboi'dinate  relation  to  the  angels,  which  is 
nowhere  else  thus  expressed.  Run,  because  it  is 
good  news.  The  substance  of  the  good  news  is 
that  Jerusalem  is  to  have  a  vast  influx  of  men 
and  cattle,  so  that  it  shall  no  longer  be  confined 
by  narrow  walls  and  fixed  limits,  but  be  sj)read 
out  like  the  open  country.     Cf  Is.  xlix.  19,  20. 

Ver.  5.  And  I  will  be  to  her,  etc.  But  it  might 
be  feared  that  great  danger  would  result  from  this 
unwalled  extension.  This  is  met  by  the  promise 
that  Jehovah  would  be  a  wall  of  fire  around, 
perhaps  in  allusion  to  the  pillar  of  fire  in  the  wil- 
derness (cf.  Is.  iv.  5).  The  fire  would  consume 
jvery  invader.  There  shotild  he,  however,  not  only 
protection  without,  but  glory  within.  This  splen- 
dor is  to  arise  fi-oin  the  niMiiifested  presence  of 
God  (cf  Is.  Ix.  19).  The  lull  force  of  this  promise 
is  to  be  gathered  from  the  following  verses. 

/6.)  I  'ulle.r  Exiilanalion  of  the  Symbol  (vers.  6-13). 


Vers.  6,  7.  Ho,  ho,  flee  out  ....  daughtei 
of  Babylon.  An  assurance  of  Jehovah's  presence 
and  blessing  with  his  people  is  given  in  the  an- 
nouncement of  judgment  upon  Babylon  ;  and  this 
is  expressed  very  strikingly  in  the  form  of  a  sum- 
mons to  the  Jews  still  remaining  in  the  Chaldaean 
capital  to  flee  away  in  haste  lest  tlity  should  be 
overtaken  by  the  coming  storm.  There  wei-e,  no 
doubt,  many  Jews  who,  because  of  age  or  infirmi- 
ties or  ties  of  property,  preferred  to  remain  in  Bab- 
ylon rather  than  risk  the  hardships  of  the  restora- 
tion ;  but  the  call  of  the  text  seems  intended  not 
so  much  for  their  benefit  as  to  show  to  the  de- 
sponding people  in  Palestine  how  severe  a  blow 
impended  over  their  former  oppress'^rs.  Land  of 
the  north.  Babylon  was  so  caller",  '...ecanse  armies 
and  caravans  coming  thence  to  Jerusalem  entered 
the  Holy  Land  from  the  north  For  as  the  four 
winds,  etc.,  assigns  the  reason  why  such  a  return 
was  possible.  God  had  scattered  Israel  not  to  the 
four  winds,  but  as  them,  /.  e.,  with  a  violence  and 
fury  such  as  would  result  from  the  combii;ed  force 
of  all  the  winds  of  heaven.    Keil's  explanation  of 

ti?"^p  as  =  a  beneficent  diffusion,  is  not  sustainea 
by  the  usage  of  the  verb,  and  is  against  the  con- 
text. Ho  !  Zion !  etc.  Zion  stands  for  the  inhab- 
itftnts  of  Zion,  i.  e.,  the  people  of  God,  who  are 
now  still  dwelling  with  the  daughter  of  Babylon, 
i.  e.,  the  peo]ile  of  that  city  personified  as  a  woman 
(Ps.  ix.  14,  cxxxvii.  8). 

Vers.  8,  9.  Further  reason  of  the  call  to  flee 
from  Babylon.  After  glory.  Gesenius,  Maurer, 
and  others  strangely  construe  this.  He  hath  sent  me 
after  glory,  in   the  sense  of  with  a  view  to  acquire 

it.  This  is  quite  inadmissible,  not  because  "^H^ 
is  not  used  as  a  preposition  (Moore),  for  it  is  often 
so  employed,  but  because  it  is  never  construed  with 
a  verb  of  motion  in  this  sense,  and  the  verb  in  the 
text  has  its  appropriate  object  and  ])reposition  im- 
mediately following.  We  must  therefore,  follow- 
ing the  LXX.  and  the  Vulgate,  render  "  after  glo- 
ry "=  after  the  bestowment  of  the  glory  stated  in 
ver.  5.  The  speaker  was  sent  to  these  plundering 
nations  to  execute  God's  judgments  upon  them. 
The  reason  for  this  mission  is  announced  in  the 
last  clause  of  the  verse  by  a  beautiful  and  touch- 
ing image,  borrowed  from  Ps.  xvii.  8  ;  cf  Deut. 
xxxii.  10.  The  apple,  literally,  the  gate,  through 
which  light  enters  the  eye,  hence  ^  pupil.  The 
pupil  or  apple  of  the  eye  is  a  proverbial  type  of 
that  which  is  at  once  most  jnecious  and  most  easily 
injured,  and  which  therefore  has  a  double  claim 
to  the  most  careful  protection.  The  pronominal 
suffix  his  is  to  be  refeiTed  to  Jehovah,  and  not  to 
the  enemy  himself. 

Ver.  9.  For,  behold  ....  servants,  furnishes 
an  additional  explanation  of  the  sending  after 
glory.  The  Angel  of  the  Lord  would  swing  his 
hand  (cf  Is.  xi.  15,  xix.  16),  as  a  gesture  of  men- 
ace or  a  symbol  of  miraculous  power,  over  the  na- 
tions, so  that  they  should  become — '"l^H^  expresses 
consequence  —  a  spoil  to  the  Israelites,  who  had 
before  been  obliged  to  serve  them.  A  close  par- 
allel is  found  in  Is.  xiv.  2.  And  ye  shall  know 
.  .  .  .  sent  me.  By  the  execution  of  this  judg- 
ment it  would  be  made  clear  to  Israel  that  Jehovah 
had  sent  his  angel.  They  would  know  the  fact 
not  only  by  faith,  but  by  experience. 

Vers.  10-12.  The  people  are  summoned  to  re- 
joict  over  the  Lord's  indwelling  and  its  happy  re- 
sult). Behold,  I  come.  The  glorification  is  about 
to  commence.     Jehovah  comes  to  Zion  to  take  up 


CHAPTER   II.  1-13 


m 


his  abode,  and  this  is  the  pledge  of  all  conceivable 
blessedness  The  close  resemblance  of  the  lani;ua<>e 
used  here  to  that  in  ch.  ix.  9,  sujjgests  that  both 
refer  to  the  same  form  of  Jehovah's  tabernacling 
with  men,  namely,  the  incarnation.  Even  Kimchi 
refers  the  passage  to  "  future  events  in  the  times 
of  the  Messiah."  This  is  further  confirmed  by  the 
next  verse.  And  many  nations,  etc.  The  King- 
dom of  God,  instead  of  being  confined  to  Israel, 
will  be  enlarged  by  the  reception  of  numerous 
heathen  peoples  (ch.  viii.  20,  21  ;  Is.  ii.  3,  xvi.  1  ;  Mi- 
eah  iv.  2).  The  two  latter  clauses  of  this  verse  are 
emphatic  repetitions  of  what  has  been  said  in  the 
same  words  in  vers.  9,  10. 

Ver.  12.  And  Jehovah  will  take,  etc.  The 
speaker  reverts  to  the  ancient  declaration,  Deut. 
xxxii.  9,  "  Jehovah's  portion  is  his  people,  Ja- 
cob the  lot  of  his  inheritance,"  and  announces  its 
complete  fulfillment  through  the  coming  of  the 
Lord.  The  holy  land  is  of  course,  Palestine,  but 
only  in  the  first  instance.  Wherever  the  people  of 
God  are  found,  there  is  the  holy  land.  Israel  is  to 
overflow  by  the  large  additions  made  to  it,  so  that 
its  original  territory  will  be  too  small.  The  new 
aggregate  shall  inherit  all  the  blessings  promised 
to  the  original  chosen  nation.  The  same  thought 
is  conveyed  in  the  other  member  of  the  parallelism. 

Ver.  1.3  furnishes  a  sublime  close  to  the  chapter. 
Be  still  .  .  .  habitation.  All  flesh  is  summoned 
to  wait  in  reverential  silence  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  to  his  work,  and  the  reason  assigned  is  that 
it  is  soon  to  begin.  For  Jehovah  has  risen  up  from 
his  holy  habitation,  which  is  heaven  (cf  Deut. 
xxvi.  15;  2  Chron.  xxx.  27).  Illustrative  paral- 
lels of  the  sentiment  are  found  in  Ps.  Ixxvi.  8,  9  : 
"  The  earth  feared  and  was  still,  when  Go  irose 
to  judgment,  to  save  all  the  meek  of  the  cl.  'h," 
and  Zeph.  i.  7  :  "  Hold  thy  peace  at  the  presence 
of  the  Lord  God,  fur  the  day  of  tlie  Lord  is  at 
hand."  Here  the  contrast  is  emphatic  between 
men,  even  all  of  them,  who  are  but  flesh,  and  the 
everliving  Jehovah.  Calvin  thinks  that  the  tem- 
ple rather  than  heaven  is  meant  by  the  holy  habita- 
tion, and  that  the  point  is,  that  even  from  that  deso- 
lated place,  exposed  to  the  derision  of  the  ungodly, 
God  would  come  forth  to  judgment.  But  it  is 
better  to  adhere  to  the  usual  meaning  of  the  ex- 

Sression,  and  to  understand  the  contrast  as  being 
etween  God  rising  up  in  heaven,  and  all  flesh  on 
the  earth.  The  divine  majesty  has  seemed  to  be 
asleep,  but  now  it  is  roused  up  ;  let  men  therefore 
beware. 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  Pressel  justly  remarks  that  although  at  first 
view  this  vision  appears  to  resemble  those  which 
were  received  by  Ezekiel  (xl.  3  ff.),  and  John 
(Rev.  xi.  1),  yet  in  reality  it  is  very  different.  In 
the  latter  cases  the  imagery  seems  to  have  a  fixed 
and  definite  meaning,  however  difficult  it  may  be 
to  ascertain  and  state  that  meaning  ;  in  the  former 
the  symbolical  action  is  of  the  simplest  kind,  and 
serves  merely  to  give  vividness  to  the  subsequent 
oral  statement.  Whenever  a  house  or  a  city  is  to 
be  enlarged,  the  first  step  is  to  make  an  adequate 
survey  of  the  existing  buildings.  The  divine  con- 
descension uses  this  preliminary  measurement  out- 
wardly re)Tesented,  as  a  token  of  a  future  indefi- 
nite expansion  which  would  leave  the  surveyor's 
lines  far  in  the  rear  as  a  thing  of  the  past.  The 
jntire  chapter  is  an  admirable  illustration  of  the 
^rminaiit   nature  of  prophecy.     In   its  primary 


aspect  it  met  directly  the  situation  of  che  Proph- 
et's contemporaries  and  animated  th(,m  to  new 
zeal  and  hope  in  their  endeavors  to  restore  tha 
national  capital,  and  reestablish  the  former  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  institutions.  Yet  it  manifestly 
cannot  be  restricted  to  this.  The  incorporation 
of  many  nations  with  the  .Jews,  as  set  forth  in  ver, 
11,  had  no  counterpart  in  the  actual  experience  of 
the  Jewish  comirionwealth  as  such.  It  was  ful- 
filled only  in  the  rajjid  and  general  diffusion  of  the 
Gospel  by  which  multitudes  of  t  le  heathen  were 
turned  from  dumb  idols  to  serve  the  living  God. 
Yet  the  prophet  passes  without  a  break  from  the 
narrower  to  the  larger  scope  of  his  prediction. 
They  to  whom  it  was  first  given  may  have  found 
it  difficult  to  see  the  exact  nexus  of  events  ;  but 
to  us  who  live  at  a  time  when  Providence  has 
interpreted  promise,  it  is  easy  to  trace  the  way 
in  which  the  Spirit  leads  Zechariah  from  a  tem- 
porary act  of  consolation  to  a  declaration  which 
sets  forth  one  of  the  chief  glories  of  Messiah's 
blessed  reign.  The  narrow  walls  of  the  Mosaic 
forms  were  to  be  thrown  down,  and  the  church's 
limits  extended  to  those  who  were  then  far  beyond 
those  boundaries.  Moore  speaks  of  it  as  at  least 
a  curious  coincidence  that  when  this  enlargement 
did  take  place  the  centres  of  population  were  the 
first  to  experience  the  blessing,  and  so  the  dwellers 
in  villages  (pagani)  became  synonymous  with  those 
who  still  remained  in  heathenism  ;  but  at  last  the 
Gospel  reached  and  converted  those  very  jon^'anoa 
(pagans) ;  and  then  in  very  deed  Jerusalem  inhab- 
ited the  villages  or  was  spread  out  as  the  open 
country. 

2.  The  twofold  blessing  of  Jehovah  to  his 
Church.  Nowhere  even  in  Scripture  is  this  set 
forth  with  so  much  beauty  and  force  as  in  the  con- 
cise statement  that  He  is  a  wall  of  fire  without 
and  a  glory  within.  What  deep  moats  or  massive 
walls  or  elaborate  defenses  are  comparable  to  a 
circle  of  flame,  fed  by  no  human  hands,  ensuring 
destruction  to  the  assailant  before  he  can  even 
reach  the  presence  of  those  he  seeks  to  attack  7 
The  Psalmist  uses  a  striking  figure  when  he  says 
(cxxv.  2),  "As  the  mountains  are  round  about 
.Jerusalem,  so  the  Lord  is  round  about  his  people 
from  henceforth  even  forever."  But  the  hills 
which  arose  around  Jerusalem  might  be  scaled,  or 
commanded  from  a  still  higher  elevation.  Not  so 
with  devouring  fire  ;  that  is  an  impassable  barrier. 
The  promise  then  is  complete ;  all  that  is  needed 
is  faith  to  appropriate  it.  As  Luther  says,  "  If  we 
were  surrounded  by  walls  of  steel  and  fire,  we 
would  feel  secure,  and  defy  the  devil.  But  the 
property  of  faith  is  not  to  be  proud  of  what  the 
eye  sees  but  of  what  the  word  reve.als."  The  one 
prayer  suitable  for  times  of  darkness  or  despond- 
ency, is  that  of  the  disciples,  Lord,  increase  our 
faith. 

But  the  assurance  of  Jehovah  is  not  only  for 
outward,  but  also  for  inward  wants,  and  that  in  a 
most  remarkable  and  comprehensive  way.  He 
Himself  will  be  for  a  glory  within.  As  the  Psalm- 
ist says,  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her.  Zion's  true 
boast  is  not  in  buildings  or  services,  in  music  or 
eloquence,  in  numbers  or  popularity,  but  in  the 
manifested  presence  of  her  great  Head.  If  his 
Holy  Spirit  reveal  his  power  in  cheering  the  bowed 
down,  in  sanctifying  the  afflicted,  in  quickening 
penitence,  prayerfulness,  holy  living,  and  the  usual 
ex]iressions  of  a  gracious  character,  in  calling  deao 
sinners  from  their  living  tombs,  in  elevating  the 
general  tone  of  piety,  in  renewing  the  lost  image 
in  which  man  was  originally  created,  then  there  il 


34 


ZECHARIAH. 


glorv  far,  far  beyond  what  earth  can  irive.  The 
Psalmist  said  (cii.  16),  "  When  tlie  Lord  shall  build 
np  Zion,  He  will  appear  in  glory."  We  may  rev- 
erently reverse  the  clauses,  and  affirm  that  when 
He  appears  in  iilory,  Zion  shall  be  built  up.  Let 
Him  come  when  He  will  and  as  He  will,  his  pres- 
ence is  enough. 

3.  God's  people  are  unspeakably  dear  to  Him. 
T  he}  are  like  the  apple  of  his  eye.  He  chooses 
them  as  his  portion,  He  guards  them  as  his  jewels. 
The  pupil  of  the  eye  is  peculiarly  delicate  and 
sensitive.  It  is  not  necessary  to  pierce  it  with  a 
knife  to  make  the  owner  shrink  ;  a  mote,  or  even 
a  touch  will  startle  and  grieve.  So  the  blessed 
Lord  feels  toward  those  whom  He  has  chosen  and 
called.  In  all  tlieir  atHiction  He  is  attlicted.  When 
Jesus  remonstrated  with  Saul  of  Tarsus  for  his 
furious  enmity  toward  the  infant  Church,  the  lan- 
guage was,  "  Why  persecutest  thou  me?  "  Every 
blow,  struck  at  the  least  or  humblest  member  of 
the  body,  reaches  its  invisible  but  glorious  head. 
In  like  manner  whatever  is  done  for  the  people  of 
God  is  regarded  by  God  as  done  for  Himself.  He 
"  is  not  unrighteous  to  forget  your  work  and  labor 
of  love  which  ye  have  showed  toward  his  name,  in 
that  ye  have  ininistei'ed  to  the  saints  and  do  minister  " 
(Heb.  vi.  10).  This  is  not  the  estimate  of  the 
world  at  large.  They  look  down  upon  believers 
as  deluded  visionaries,  or  at  best  amiable  enthusi- 
asts, while  sometimes  the  carnal  heart  finds  ex- 
pression in  much  harsher  terms-  So  much  the 
more  necessary  is  it  to  remember  the  Lord's  judg- 
ment in  the  case,  and  to  feel  and  act  toward  those 
who  bear  the  Christian  name  and  walk  according- 
ly, as  to  those  who,  whatever  their  outward  sur- 
roundings, are  loved  by  their  Lord  with  an  affec- 
tion beyond  what  even  a  mother  bears  to  the  son 
of  her  womb. 

The  whole  history  of  the  Church  is  a  comment 
npon  this  utterance.  From  the  time  of  its  insti- 
tution in  the  household  of  Abraham,  when  latent 
in  Egypt,  wandering  in  the  desert,  militant  in  Ca- 
naan, triumphant  in  Jerusalem,  captive  in  Baby- 
lon, oppressed  under  the  Syrians  and  Romans,  it 
was  sustained  by  heavenly  food,  by  visions  and  in- 
spirations, by  miracles  and  portents,  by  God's 
effective  support  on  the  right  hand  and  the  left. 
Afterwards,  when  revived  and  renewed  by  the  per- 
sonal ministry  and  blessed  sacrifice  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  it  was  brought  into  still  closer  fellowship 
with  the  Most  High,  fitted  for  unlimited  diffusion, 
proclaimed  to  all  the  world,  and  established  alike 
among  the  loftiest  and  the  lowliest  of  the  earth. 
And  though  tried  in  every  possible  way  by  malice 
and  envy,  it  was  only  purged  by  suffering,  con- 
firmed and  rooted  by  the  storms  of  persecution, 
and  protected  against  all  the  powers  of  earth  and 
hell  by  an  arm  which  even  the  blind  may  see  be- 
longs to  none  but  the  living  God. 

4.  The  introduction  of  nations  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  people  of  God  is  one  of  the  grand  pe- 
culiarities of  the  later  dispensation.  In  earlier 
days  the  Church  was  far  less  restrictive  that  it  is 
often  supposed  to  have  been.  Not  a  few  outside 
)f  the  chosen  line  obtained  entrance  to  the  com- 
munity. Not  only  Hobab,  and  Rahab,  and  Ruth, 
and  Gittai,  but  many  others  found  a  home  in  Zion  ; 
still  in  all  cases  they  were  required  to  leave  their 
original  home,  to  forget  their  father's  house,  and 
transplant  themselves  to  the  seat  of  the  theocracy. 
Bui  now  the  good  news  goes  to  the  heathen  in- 
stead of  their  coming  to  it.  The  various  tribes 
ind  families  whom  God  so  carefully  separated 
'Acts  xvii.  26),  although  they  were  of  one  blood, 


still  retain  their  distinct  national  existence,  but  OB 
receiving  the  Gospel  are  counted  as  seed  of  tha 
promise.  A  very  remarkable  Psalm  (Ixxxvii.  4) 
speaks  of  these  collective  bodies  as  subjects  of  re- 
generation. "I  will  mention  Rahab  and  Baby 
Ion  as  knowing  me.  Lo,  Philistia  and  Tyre  with 
Ethiopia.  (As  to  each  of  these  it  shall  be  said,) 
This  one  was  born  there."'  These  ruling  poweis 
among  the  heathen,  most  of  them  hereditary  en- 
emies of  Israel,  are  given  as  samples  of  the  whole 
Gentile  world.  Not  individuals  alone,  but  whole 
nations  are  to  experience  a  spiritual  birth,  and  in 
consequence  join  themselves  to  Jehovah.  Not  by 
force  of  outward  compulsion,  but  by  the  power  of 
an  inward  conviction.  The  flocks  of  Kedar  and  the 
rams  of  Nebaioth  with  good  will  (or  of  their  own 
accord)  ascend  the  altar  of  Jehovah  (Is.  Ix.  7).  It 
is  of  course  true  that  conversions  are  effected  in- 
dividually and  not  en  masse,  but  these  are  to  be  so 
multiplied  that  a  little  one  becomes  a  thousand, 
and  a  small  one  a  strong  nation.  The  history  of 
modern  missions  has  furnished  repeated  instances 
in  which  a  whole  people  has  been  revolutionized 
and  made  as  distinctively  Christian  as  it  before 
had  been  heathen.  It  needs  only  a  farther  devel- 
opment of  divine  grace  in  the  same  direction  to  fill 
out  in  reality  the  most  glowing  pictures  sketched 
on  the  prophetic  canvass. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL 

Pressel  :  A  fine  illustration  of  the  defense 
which  Jehovah  is  to  his  people  is  furnished  in  the 
experience  of  a  widow  who  alone  with  her  daugh- 
ter occupied  a  house  standing  by  itself  in  the  di- 
rect way  of  the  Russian  army  on  its  march  to 
Schleswick,  and  comforted  her  weeping,  despair- 
ing daughter  with  the  assurance  that  the  Lord 
could  and  would  protect  them  from  all  harm.  The 
same  night  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  so  covered  all  ap- 
proaches to  the  house  that  when  the  army  marched 
on  the  next  day  it  was  not  visited  or  apparently 
seen  by  even  one  of  the  licentious  soldiery.  A 
wall  of  snow  was  as  effectual  as  a  wall  of  fire. 

Moore  :  The  true  glory  of  the  Church  is  not 
in  any  external  pomp  or  power  of  any  kind.  Her 
outward  rites  and  ceremonies,  therefore,  should 
only  be  what  the  earth's  atmosphere  is  to  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  —  a  pure,  transparent  medium  of  trans- 
mission. 

—  Delay  of  punishment  is  no  proof  of  impunity. 
God  often  seems  asleep  when  He  is  only  awaiting 
the  appointed  time  ;  but  in  the  end,  when  all  seems 
as  it  was  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  the 
herald  cry  shall  go  forth,  Be  silent,  0  earth,  for 
Jehovah  is  roused  to  his  terrible  work,  and  the 
day  of  his  w^rath  is  come. 

Jay  :  If  God  regards  his  people  so  kindly  and 
is  so  jealous  for  their  welfare  y-er.  8),  it  becomes 
them  on  the  other  hand  to  be  equally  concerned 
for  his  cause  and  his  glory.  We  are  to  regard  his 
Word  as  we  keep  the  tenderest  part  of  the  tender- 
est  member  of  our  body.  He  says.  "  Keep  my 
commandments  and  live  ;  and  my  law  as  the  apple 
of  thine  eye  "  (Prov.  vii.  2). 

Hodge  :  I  will  dwell  in  the  midsi  of  thee '' 
(vers.  5,  10,  11).  God  is  said  to  dwell  wherevei 
He  specially  and  permanently  manifests  his  pres- 
ence. And  since  He  thus  specially  and  perma- 
nently manifests  his  presence  in  his  people  collec- 
tively and  individually,  He  is  said  to  dwell  in  all 

and  in  each The  human  soul  is  'jaid  to  be 

full  of  God  when  its  inward  state,  its  affectioni 


CHAPTER  111.  1-10. 


and  acts  are  determined  and  controlled  by  Him,  I  and  blessed There  is  unspeakably  more  in 

80  as  to  be  a  constant  manifestation  of  the  divine  |  the  promises  of  God  than  we  are  able  to  under 
presence.     Then  it  is  pure,  and  glorious,  and  free,  |  stand. 


VISION  IV.    JOSHUA   THE  HIGH  PRIEST  BEFORE   THE   ANGEL   OP 

JEHOVAH. 

Chapter  HI.   1-10. 

A.  Joshua  accused  by  Satan,  hut  forgiven  (vers.  1-5).  B.  A  Promise  of  Protectitm 
to  the  High  Priest,  and  also  of  the  coming  of  Branch  and  its  blessed  Results  (vers. 
6-10). 

1  And  he  showed  me  Joshua,  the  high  priest,  standing  before  the  angel  of  Jehovah, 

2  and  Satan  ^  standing  at  his  right  hand  to  oppose  him.^  And  Jehovah  said  to  Satan, 
Jehovah  rebuke  thee,  O  Satan,  even  Jehovah  who  chooses  ^  Jerusalem  rebuke  thee  ! 

3  Is  not  this  a  brand  plucked  from  the  fire  ?     And  Joshua  was  clothed  in  filthy  gar- 

4  ments,  and  stood  before  the  angel.  And  he  answered  and  spake  to  those  who  stood 
before  him,  saying,  Take  the  filthy  garments  away  from  him,  and  he  said  to  him, 
See,  I  have  caused  thine  iniquity  to  pass  from  ^  thee,  and  will  clothe  thee  with  festal 

5  raiment.  And  I  said,*  Let  them  put  a  clean  ^  mitre  upon  his  head ;  and  they  put 
the  clean  mitre  upon  his  head  and  clothed  him  with  garments.  And  the  angel  of 
Jehovah  was  standing  by. 

6  Aaid  the  angel  of  Jehovah  testified  ^  to  Joshua,  and  said, 

7  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

If  thou  wilt  walk  in  my  ways  and  keep  my  charge, 
Thou  shalt  judge  my  house,  and  also  keep  my  courts, 
And  I  will  give  thee  access ''  among  these  standing  here. 

8  Hear,  I  pray,  0  Joshua  the  high  priest, 
Thou  and  thy  colleagues  *  who  sit  before  thee, 
For  men  of  wonder  ^  are  they. 

For,  behold,  I  bring  my  servant.  Branch. 

9  For,  behold  the  stone  which  I  have  laid  before  Joshua ; 
Upon  one  stone  are  seven  eyes ; 

Behold  I  execute  its  carving  ;  ^^ 
And  I  remove  the  iniquity  of  this  land  in  one  day. 
10  In  that  day  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
Ye  shall  invite  every  man  his  neighbor 
Under  the  vine  and  under  the  fig  tree. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  V«r.  1.  —  l3tDtt7  V  "jt227n.     The  force  of  this  antanaclasis  can  hardly  be  expressed  in  a  version  —  tht  opposir  U 
tppose  him  fails  to  convey  the  force  of  the  proper  name  Satan. 

2  Ver.  2.  —  ^n^    not  as  E.  V.  who  "  has  chosen,"  but  according  to  the  force  of  the  participle,  who  now  and  babi^ 
nally  chooses.     Henderson  with  a  marvelous  lack  of  taste  substitutes  for  the  simple  meaning,  "  taketh  delight." 

8  Ver.  4.  —  "  From  thee,"  lit. :  from  upon  thee.     The  guilt  or  punishment  of  sin  is  conceived  as  a  burden  reBtlng 
apon  the  sinner  until  forgiveness  removes  it. 

4  Ver.  6.  —  For  "IttST   Ewald,  following  the  Targum,  Peshito,  and  Vulgate,  proposes  to  read  "in"!,  and  Render 

ton,  "IttSl.     But  on  general  principles  the  Masoretic  text  is  to  be  preferred,  and  especially  here,  where  the  motive  of 
)he  change  is  obvious,  and  nothing  is  gained  in  clearness  or  emphasis  by  departing  from  the  Hebrew. 

6  Ver.  i.  —  TintJ.     The  E.  V.  "  fair,"  besides  being  a  needless  departure  from  the  meaning  of  the  word,  lUlf  to 
•xpresa  the  point  involved  in  cleanness  as  the  emblem  of  purity  or  forgiveness. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  ^5*T,  a  strong  term,  implying  the  importance  and  the  certainty  of  the  communication. 

7  Ver.  7.  —  "  Access,"  lit.,  ways,  t.  e.,  means  of  free  ingress  and  egress  among  my  immediate  attendants.     See  InC 
uid  Critical. 


dH 


ZECHARIAH. 


8  Yer.  8.  —  tT*^  V^  =  companions,  but  as  it  is  associates  in  office  who  are  intended,  colleagues  seems  the  neaical 
equivalent. 

9  Ver.  8.  —  nSiD   is  rendered  wonder  (E.  V.  margin),  to  preserre  its  original  signification.     Perhaps  "  men  of  oin«a  * 
ironld  be  more  easily  understood. 

10  Ver.  9.  —  D"^ni^Q    ni^2    '''•,  to  open  openings  =  to  carre. 


KXEGETICAL  AND  C6IT1CAL. 

The  third  vision  lays  a  sure  foundation  for  the 
glowing  assurances  and  promises  contained  in 
fliose  which  precede  liy  revealing  the  fact  of  the 
divine  forgiveness.  Sin  had  been  the  cause  of  all 
the  previous  troubles  of  Israel,  and  its  continuance 
would  bring  them  all  back.  Hence  the  need  and 
value  of  the  great  truth  expressed  in  the  dramatic 
form  and  rich  symbolism  of  this  vision.  The  first 
half  of  the  chapter  (vers.  1-5)  represents  the  high 
priest  standing  before  the  angel  of  Jehovah  and 
opposed  by  Satan  ;  but  Joshua  is  forgiven, —  a  fact 


damaging  others,  he  secures  his  own  overthrow. 
The  emphatic  repetition  of  the  exclamation  indi- 
cates the  certainty  of  Satan's  failure.  The  other 
words  of  the  verse  show  the  ground  of  this  failure. 
It  is  not  at  all  in  the  innocence  of  the  high  priest 
or  the  people,  but  in  the  gracious  purpose  of  Jeho- 
vah. He  chooses  Jerusalem,  and  that  choice 
must  stand.  This  is  further  confirmed  by  the 
question.  Is  not  this  a  brand  ....  fire  ?  cf. 
Amos  iv.  11.  Most  expositors,  ancient  and 
modern,  refer  this  to  the  exile  in  which  Joshua 
had  suffered,  but  from  which  he  had  been  restored. 
God  had  rescued  him  for  preservation  not  for  de- 
struction.    Having  snatched  the  brand  from  the 


which  is  both  literally  stated  and  also  symbolically  flames,  he  did  not  mean  to  throw  it  back  into  the 
represented.  In  the  second  half  (vers.  6-10),  the  flre.  The  reference  of  course  is  to  the  high  priest, 
high  priest  is  assured  of  present  protection,  and  of  not  so  much  in  his  personal,  as  his  representative 


the  future  appearance  of  the  Branch,  who  will  re- 
move sin  at  once  and  bestow  the  fullness  of  salva- 
tion. 

(a.)  The  Symbol  (vers.  l-.*)).  Ver.  1.  And  he 
showed  me.  The  subject  of  the  verb  is  Jehovah, 
as  appears  from  the  fact  that  He  is  the  last  person 
previously  mentioned,  and  from  the  parallel  phrase 
in  i.  20.  It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  it  is 
a  judicial  scene  (Hoifman,  Ewald,  Kohler,  Pres- 
sel)  which  is  presented  to  the  Prophet's  view.  So 
far  as  the  terms  used  are  concerned,  they  will  ap- 

Ely  equally  well  to  the  high  priest's  appearance 
efore  God  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  func- 
tions. To  "  stand  before  Jehovah  "  was  the  tech- 
nical term  to  denote  the  ordinary  service  of  the 
priests  (Deut.  x.  8  ;  2  Chron.  xxix.  11  ;  Judg.  xx. 
28;  Ezek.  xliv.  15).  The  presumption  then  is 
that  he  was  here  not  for  himself  only,  but  also 
and  chiefly  on  behalf  of  the  people,  as  their  repre- 
sentative. That  he  was  engaged  in  prayer  is  im- 
plied in  the  circumstances,  and  also  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  Jehovah's  words  in  ver.  4  as  an  answer. 
But  another  person  appears  on  the  scene  who  is 
called  Satan,  lit.,  the  adversary.  Some  (Kimchi, 
Ewald)  refer  this  to  a  human  adversary,  such  as 
Sanballat,  but  the  emphatic  form  of  the  term  ;  its 
analogy  to  o  avriSiKos  (1  Pet.  v.  8)  and  d  Kar-liycop 
(Rev.  xii.  10)  ;  the  LXX.'s  equivalent  Std^oKos  ; 
and  the  occurrence  of  the  word  in  Job  i.,  ii. ;  all 
point  to  the  chief  of  the  evil  spirits  as  the  person 
here  intended.  He  is  said  to  stand  on  the  right 
hand  of  Joshua,  not  because  this  was  the  position 
appropriated  by  Jewish  usage  to  an  accuser,  for 
no  such  usage  can  be,  or  at  least  has  been,  estab- 
lished ;  but  because  this  is  the  most  suitable  place 
for  one  who  wishes  to  impede  or  oppose  another 
(Job  XXX.  12;  Ps.  cix.  6).  Satan's  object  is  to 
oppose  Joshua.  The  manner  is  not  specifically 
stated,  but  from  the  next  verse  it  seems  as  if  Sa- 
an's  work  was  to  dwell  upon  the  sins  of  the  high 
priest  and  his  people,  and  upon  this  ground  urge 
their  condemnation  and  overthrow. 

Ver.  2.    And  Jehovah  said.     Almost  all   ex- 

gjsitors  agree  that  the  angel  of  Jehovah  is  the 
peaker  here  who  takes  the  name  of  Jehovah  be- 
cause of  the  intimate  and  mysterious  relation  he 
sustains  to  Him.  There  is  no  debate  between  the 
parties,  but  the  adversary  is  at  once  repelled  with 
indignation.     Jehovah  rebuke  thee !     Instead  of 


character. 

Ver.  3.  Clothed  with  filthy  garments.  Eich- 
horn,  Ewald,  et  al.,  consider  this  soiled  raiment  de- 
signed to  set  forth  that  he  was  an  accused  person, 
but  this  is  arbitrarily  to  transfer  a  Roman  custom 
(Liv.  ii.  54)  to  the  East  where  not  a  trace  of  it  is 
to  be  seen.  In  Hebrew  usage  such  garments  rep- 
resent sin.  Is.  Ixiv.  5  :  "  We  are  all  as  an  unclean 
thing,  and  all  our  righteousnesses  as  filthy  rags." 
Sorely  as  the  nation  had  been  chastised,  its  iniq- 
uity was  not  wiped  away.  The  last  clause  is  not 
a  superfluous  repetition  of  what  is  stated  in  ver.  1, 
but  indicates  a  patient  expectancy  in  Joshua,  that 
notwithstanding  Satan's  accusation,  relief  would 
come. 

Ver.  4.  And  he  answered,  i.  e.,  the  prayer  for 
forgiveness  involved  in  the  fact  of  the  high  priest's 
appearing  before   the  Lord.     Vitringa   says    (on 

Zech.  i.  11),  "  In  every  case  in  which  ^317  or  dir»- 
KpiueffOai  is  placed  at  the  opening  of  a  speech  or 
narrative  without  any  question  preceding  it,  there 
is  always  a  question  tacitly  assumed ;  just  as  in 
the  Books  of  Scripture,  where  they  commence  with 
the  copula,  some  antecedent  is  always  supposed  to 
exist,  with  which  the  narrative  or  speech  is  tacitly 
contrasted,  even  though  nothing  at  all  has  gone 
before."  Those  who  stood  before  him  =  surely 
not,  as  Ewald  maintains,  the  friends  of  the  ac- 
cused, but  the  Lord's  own  servants,  the  angels. 
These  are  ordered  to  remove  the  filthy  garments, 
and  then  the  angel  of  Jehovah  explains  the  mean- 
ing of  the  symbolical  act.  I  have  taken,  etc. 
This  does  not  refer  to  sanctification  (Mark),  but 
to  forensic  forgiveness.  The  two  cases  (2  Sam. 
xii.  13  and  xxiv.  10)  establish  this  as  the  meaning 

of  the  phrase,  Tt?  "'^?5^'!7-  The  festal  garments 
may  symbolize  innocence  (Chaldee),  or  joy  (Koh- 
ler, Pressel),  or  glory  (Keil). 

Ver.  5.  And  I  said.  At  this  point  the  Prophet 
who  had  been  only  a  silent  spectator,  comes  sudden- 
ly forward  with  a  prayer  for  the  completion  of  the 
work  begun,  and  says.  Let  them  put  •  •  •  ;  head. 
It  cannot  be  made  out  that  any  special  significance 
attached  to  the  mitre.or  turban,  and  the  emphasis 
must  lie  upon  the  qualifying  word  clean.  •'  The 
turban  can  be  referred  to  only  as  an  article  of 
dress  which  would  be  the  first  to  strike  the  eye  " 


CHAPTER  III.  1-10. 


J]7 


IHengstenberg).  The  wish  of  the  Prophet  was  at 
once  complied  with.  The  hist  chiuse  of  the  verse 
ioes  not  mean  that  the  anyel  of  tlie  Lord  rose  up 
from  his  seat  ( Henderson,  Koliler,  Pressel),  but 
that  he  continued  standing  by,  "  lilce  a  master 
presiding  over  the  ceremony,  approving  and  adorn- 
ing it  with  his  presence"  (C.  B    Mich.). 

(b.)  Tlie  Promise  (vers.  6-10).  The  comple- 
tion of  the  symbolical  action  is  made  the  occasion 
of  a  further  and  far-reaching  assurance,  addressed 
to  the  high  priest  and  through  him  to  the  nation. 

Ver.  6.  Testified  =  made  a  solemn  declaration 
(Gen.  xliii.  3  ;  Deut.  viii.  19). 

Ver.  7  contains  a  promise  with  a  condition. 
The  condition  is  partly  personal  —  walk  in  my 
ways,  and  partly  official  —  keep  my  charge.  The 
promise  is  altogether  official.  Judge  .  .  .  courts 
=  administer  the  service  in  the  holy  place  and 
guard  the  house  of  God  from  all  idolatry  and  un- 
godliness. "  This  is  here  represented  not  as  a 
duty  hut  as  a  reward ;  inasmuch  as  activity  in 
connection  with  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the  high- 
est honor  and  greatest  favor  which  God  can  confer 
upon  any  mortal"  (Hengstenberg).  T'he  last 
clause  contains   an  important  additional  promise. 

D^^/HQ  is  a  difficult  word  which  occurs  no- 
where else.  (1.)  Some  take  it  as  a  noun,  plural 
of  Tllpnp  =  ways,  i.  e.,  ingress  and  egress,  de- 
noting a  peculiarly  free  access  to  God  among  Ms 
heavenly  servants  ( Calvin,  Hitzig,  Maurer,  Ewald, 
Kohler,  Fiirst,  etc.).     (2.)  Others  regard  it  as  a 

Chaldee  form  of  the  Piel  participle  of  ^7%Ii  taken 
intransitively  =  walkers,  i.  e.,  angels  who  as  mes- 
sengers go  between  the  high  priest  and  Jehovah 
(LXX.,  Vulg.,  Pesh.,  Grotius,  Baumgarten).  (3.) 
Others  derive  it  from  the  Hiphil  participle  of  the 
same  verb,  meaning  =  leaders  or  guides  (Luther, 
Gesen.,  Heng.,  Umbreit,  Dr.  Kiggs,  etc.).  Against 
the  last  two  is  the  circumstance  that  Zechariah 
could  very  well  have  expressed  that  sense  in  regu- 
lar Hebrew  form;  that  they  require  an  alteration 

of  the  text ;  and  that  'J '^5  i^  required  to  be  ren- 
dered as  = 'J'^S'p.  I  hesitatingly  prefer  the  hrst. 
One  thing  is  certain,  that  some  kind  of  association 
or  influence  with  God's  immediate  servants  on 
high  is  here  promised  to  the  high  priest. 

Ver.  8.  Hear,  I  pray,  etc.  This  opening  calls 
attention  to  the  importance  of  what  follows.  The 
address  is  made  not  only  to  Joshua,  but  to  his  col- 
leagues, J.  e.,  associates  in  the  priestly  office.  The 
next  clause  assigns  the  reason  for  including  them. 
They  are  men  of  wonder,  i.  e.,  men  who  excite 
wonder  in  others,  and  thus  attracting  attention 
to  themselves,  become  types  of  what  is  to  come 
(cf.  Is.  viii.  18  ;  xx.  3  ;  Ezek.  xii.  6  ;  xxiv.  24-27 
(Heb.).  The  constant  exercise  of  priestly  func- 
tions in  the  offering  of  sacrifices  which  had  no  in- 
trinsic efficacy  was  a  perpetual  testimony  of  man's 
need  of  forgiveness  and  of  God's  purpose  in  future 
to  satisfy  the  need  thus  made  known.  The  objec- 
tion  to  this  view  on  the  ground  that  we  should  ex- 
pect are  ye  and  not  are  they,  is  removed  by  the  fact 
that  such  cases  of  enallage  are  not  rare  (cf.  Zeph. 
ii.  12  (in  Heb.).  The  reason  why  these  typical 
men,  Joshua  and  his  priests,  are  summoned  to  lis- 
ten, is  given  in  the  next  clause,  which  declares  that 
Jehovah  will  bring  forward  that  antitype  whose 
appearance  would  show  that  their  typical  charac- 
ter was  founded  in  truth.  My  servant  Branch. 
The  antitype  is  described  by  two  names  taken  from 
>he  earlie'  Prophets.     One,  servn^U  is  of  frequent 


occurrence  in  Isaiah  (xlii.  1,  etc.),  and  also  in 
Ezek.  (xxxiv.  23,  24).  The  other,  branch,  occurs 
in  Jeremiah  xxiii.  5,  xxxiii.  l^,  —  passages  which 
plainly  lean  upon  Isaiah's  statements  xi.  1,  liii.  2. 
The  term  denotes  the  original  obscurity  of  this 
personage  and  the  gradual  develojiment  of  hia 
character.  Instead  of  being  a  tall  and  stately 
tree,  he  is  a  mere  branch  or  root-shoot.  This  ref- 
erence had  become  so  well  understood  in  Zechar- 
iah's  time  that  he  uses  the  word  as  if  it  were  a 
proper  name,  my  servant  Branch.  That  it  pointed 
to  the  Messiah  is  admitted  by  the  Chald.  Par., 
and  almost  all  expositors,  ancient  and  modern. 
The  suggestion  of  a  few  (Kimchi,  Theodoret,  Gro- 
tius, Blayney),  that  Zerubbabel  was  intended,  ia 
refuted  by  the  fact  that  the  Branch  had  not  yet 
appeared,  while  Zerubbabel  had ;  and  also  by  the 
consideration  that  this  civil  governor  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  priestly  office  and  could  not  possi 
bly  be  an  antitype  of  its  holders.  A  similar  figur- 
ative description  of  the  Messiah  is  found  in  Ezek. 
xvii.  22,  23.  The  Lord,  having  described  the 
royal  house  of  Judah  as  a  strong  and  lofty  cedar, 
which  had  been  plucked  up  by  the  roots  and  left 
to  wither  and  die,  declares  that  He  will  take  from 
its  summit  a  slender  twig  and  plant  it  on  the 
mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel,  where  the  little 
scion  shall  take  root,  and  grow,  and  spread,  until 
it  commands  universal  admiration.  Every  tree  of 
the  field  shall  own  its  superiority,  and  every  fowl 
of  heaven  seek  its  shelter. 

Ver.  9.  For  behold  ....  seven  eyes.  This 
verse  assigns  the  reason  for  the  fulfillment  of  the 
preceding  promise.  The  condition  of  the  cove- 
nant people  was  so  deplorable  that  it  seemed  vain 
to  expect  such  a  blessing  as  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah.  To  countervail  such  despondency,  Jeho- 
vah of  Hosts  assures  his  people  of  the  watchful 
and  loving  care  which  will  secure  the  gracious  re- 
sult. The  single  stone  is  not  the  Messiah  (early 
interpreters,  Kliefoth),  for  he  was  not  "  laid  be- 
fore Joshua ;  "  nor  the  foundation  stone  of  the 
Temple  (Rosenmiiller,  Hitzig,  Neumann,  Hender- 
son), which  had  long  since  been  laid  ;  nor  the  top- 
stone  (Maurer),  nor  the  plummet  (Grotius),  nor  a 
jewel  of  the  high  priest's  breast-plate  (Theodoret, 
Baumgarten,  etc.) ;  but  the  covenant  people,  now 
appropriately  described  as  lying  before  Joshua, 
who  was  their  ecclesiastical  leader.  It  is  no  objec- 
tion to  this  view  that  the  Messiah  is  elsewhere 
spoken  of  as  a  stone  (Ps.  cxviii.  22  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  7), 
for  sometimes  the  head  and  the  body  both  have 
the  same  term  applied  to  them,  as  in  Isaiah's  use 
of  the  term  servant,  where  only  the  context  can 
determine  which  of  the  two  is  meant  (Is.  xliv.  2  : 
lii.  13).  The  seven  eyes  may  denote,  either  the 
all-embracing  providence  of  God,  or  (according  to 
the  statement  in  Rev.  v.  6  of  the  seven  eyes  of  the 
Lamb  which  are  the  seven  spirits  of  God,  sent 
forth  into  all  the  earth)  the  seven-fold  radiations 
of  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah,  by  which  the  stone  is 
preserved  and  prepared  for  its  glorious  destina- 
tion. I  see  no  reason  why  both  may  not  be  com- 
bined. According  to  this  view,  the  eyes  are  not 
engraved  on  the  stone,  but  directed  toward  it  (cf. 

Ps.  xxxii.  8 ;  Jer.  xxxix.  12  for  this  use  of  v^). 
Ewald  ( Geschichte  d.  V.  I.,  iv.  239)  sees  in  this 
verse  a  distinct  evidence  of  Zoroastrian  ideas.  He 
says  the  conception  of  the  seven  eyes  of  Jehovah 
was  derived  from  the  Persian  notion  of  the  seven 
Amshaspands  who  surround  the  throne  of  th« 
Supreme,  and  adds  m  a  note  that  the  upper  ser- 
vants of  a  great  king  were  ofton  called  his  eyei 


'66 


ZECHARIAH. 


and  his  ears.  How  far-fetched  is  this  1  The  He- 
brews were  familiar  with  the  terra  eyes  of  God  or 
Jehovah,  and  meant  by  it  just  what  all  men  mean 
by  it ;  and  the  number  seven  had  for  ages  been 
well  known  to  them  as  a  symbol  of  sacredness  and 
completeness  See  the  excursus  at  the  end  of  this 
section.  The  passage  is  perfectly  intelligible  on 
the  supposition  that  Zechariah  had  never  even 
heard  of  such  a  thing  as  the  seven  Amshaspands 
of  the  Zend-avesta.  Execute  its  carving  =  make 
it  a  beautiful  and  costly  stone.  So  most  exposi- 
tors from  Calvin  to  Fressel.  The  last  clause  com- 
pletes the  brilliant  promise.  This  land,  i.  e.,  the 
land  of  Israel,  which  of  course  includes  its  inhabit- 
ants, and  they  stand  for  tlie  whole  Church  of 
which  they  were  then  the  representatives.  The 
guilt  is  to  be  removed  in  one  day,  which  can 
hardly  be  any  other  than  the  great  day  of  atone- 
ment at  Golgotha.  The  phrase  is  analogous  to 
the  "once  for  all"  in  Hebrews  vii.  27,  x.  10.  It 
presents  a  contrast  between  the  continually  re- 
peated sacrifices  of  the  Levitical  priesthood  and 
the  one  final  and  etFectual  sacrifice  of  the  Messiah. 

Ver.  10,  Ye  shall  invite  ....  fig  tree.  The 
result  of  this  is  expressed  in  a  proverbial  phrase 
borrowed  from  the  older  Scriptures,  where  it  first 
occurs  in  the  description  of  the  happy  ])eriod  un- 
der Solomon  (1  Kings  iv.  25).  "  Whether  it  is  to 
be  taken  literally  or  spiritually  here  has  been  much 
contested,  the  Rabbins  favoring  the  former  view, 
the  Fathers  the  latter.  We  rightly  combine  both, 
and  maintain  that  this  picture  of  peaceful  prosper- 
ity and  cordial  union  is  realized,  although  imper- 
fectly, yet  just  as  far  as  Christ's  kingdom  has  its 
proper  influence  and  the  communion  of  saints  is 
felt"  (Pressel). 

The  entire  vision  and  promise  were  admirably 
adapted  to  effect  their  end.  The  high  priest  con- 
quers his  fierce  antagonist,  is  assured  of  his  for- 
giveness and  confirmed  in  his  office,  and  is  certified 
of  the  continuance  of  the  people  until  the  appear- 
ance of  the  long  expected  Branch,  who  once  for 
all  and  forever  would  take  away  the  guilt  and  pun- 
ishment of  sin. 

The  Number  Seven.  The  question  why  the  eyes 
spoken  of  in  ver.  9,  whatever  their  meaning,  should 
Se  stated  as  seven,  brings  up  for  consideration  the 
peculiar  significance  of  this  number.  Its  employ 
ment  here  and  in  the  next  chapter  (ver.  2,  seven 
lamps  and  seven  pipes,  ver.  10,  those  seven),  are 
instances  of  a  usage  at  once  very  ancient  and  very 
wide  spread.  Leaving  out  of  view  the  literature  of 
India,  Persia,  and  Arabia,  we  find  in  Scripture  an 
extraordinary  frequency  of  its  occurrence.  Seven, 
teventh,  and  sevenjold  are  found  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  New,  not  less  than  three  hundred 
and  eighty-three  times,  while  a  similar  enumeration 
of  the  instances  in  which  six  and  eiylit  are  used, 
reaches  the  sum  of  only  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
six,  or  less  than  one  half  of  the  sevens.  This  usa^e 
begins  with  the  first  book  of  the  Bible  and  ends 
only  with  the  last.  We  find  in  Genesis  the  seveu 
days  of  creation  ;  seven-fold  vengeance  denounced 
for  Cain  ;  clean  beasts  and  fowls  received  into  iIr- 
ark  by  sevens ;  the  dove  despatched  from  the  ark 
at  intervals  of  seven  days  ;  Jacob  serving  seven 
years  for  a  wife  he  did  not  want,  and  seven  more 
for  the  wife  he  did  want;  and  seven  fat  kine  and 
»even  lean,  seven  good  ears  and  seven  thin,  rep- 
resenting the  seven  years  of  plenty  and  famine. 
In  the  Mosaic  ritual,  many  sacrifices  required  seven 
rictims,  and  often  the  blood  was  required  to  be 
iprinkled  s«>-'<»n  times.    Not  only  the  seventh  day 


was  holy,  but  the  seventh  week  of  the  year  (a 
week  of  weeks)  ;  and  the  seventh  month  ;  and  the 
seventh  or  Sabbatical  year;  and  the  Jubilee  or  the 
year  following  seven  weeks  of  years,  wore  all 
marked  by  festival  observances.  Jericho  was  over- 
thrown by  a  march  of  the  people  seven  successive 
days  around  the  walls,  headed  by  seven  priests  who 
blew  as  many  trumpets.  On  the  seventh  day  the 
circuit  was  made  seven  times,  and  then  at  the 
shout  of  the  people  the  walls  fell.  Samson  gave 
the  Philistines  of  Timnath  seven  days  to  solve  his 
riddle,  he  was  bound  with  seven  withes,  and  his 
seven  locks  were  woven  with  the  web.  Seven  years 
of  famine  were  inflicted  in  Elisha's  time,  and  the 
same  offered  as  an  alternative  to  David.  The 
Psalmist  praised  God  seven  times  a  day,  the  just 
man  falls  seven  times  and  rises  again,  Nebuchad- 
nezzar's furnace  was  heated  seven  times  more  than 
it  was  wont.  In  the  Apocalypse,  the  recurrence 
is  still  more  marked.  A  condensed  summation 
reports  that  there  are  two  sevens  in  the  introduc- 
tion, namely,  seven  churches  and  seven  spirits,  and 
in  the  body  of  the  y,'ork  two  sevens  of  sevens, 
namely,  first,  seven  candlesticks,  stars,  seals,  horns, 
eyes,  trumpets,  thunders ;  and  secondly,  seven  an- 
gels, heads,  crowns,  plagues,  vials,  mountains, 
kings. 

Of  the  fact  that  this  number  is  exceedingly 
prominent  there  can  be  no  question.  The  precise 
ground  of  the  prominence  is  not  so  easily  stated. 
The  late  Professor  Hadley,  from  whose  article  i  on 
the  subject  our  statement  is  drawn,  enumerated 
five  dirt'erent  theories.  One  is  the  Arithmetical, 
used  by  Philo  the  Jew,  and  based  upon  the  peculiar 
property  of  seven  as  compared  with  any  other  of 
the  digits.  A  second,  the  Chronological,  is  founded 
upon  the  early  division  of  time  into  weeks,  A 
third,  the  Symbolic,  conceives  seven  to  be  the 
union  of  two  numbers,  namely,  three,  which  sym- 
bolizes the  divine,  since  the  Godhead  is  a  trinity, 
and  ybftr,  which  symbolizes  the  cosmical,  the  cre- 
ated universe  of  space,  this  being  determined  by 
the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass.  The  seven 
then  represents  that  reunion  of  the  world  with 
God,  which  is  the  great  aim  and  crowning  con- 
summation of  all  true  religion.  A  fourth  is  the 
Physiological  theory,  tracing  the  preeminence  of 
the  seven  to  the  fact  that  there  are  seven  parts  of 
the  body,  namely,  the  head,  chest,  and  loins,  with 
the  four  limbs  ;  and  seven  openings  of  the  head, 
namely,  the  three  pairs  of  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils, 
with  the  mouth;  and  further,  that  the  seventh, 
fc  urteenth,  and  twenty-first  days  are  critical  peri- 
0(  Is  in  diseases.  The  fifth  hypothesis  is  based  on 
Astronomical  reasons.  The  nocturnal  heavens 
offered  to  the  men  of  primitive  times  a  constant 
and  impressive  spectacle.  Here  they  could  not  but 
bu  struck  by  the  seven  members  of  the  planetary 
system,  as  well  as  by  the  fiict  that  the  fixed  stars 
exhibited  the  same  number  in  several  of  the  most 
brilliant  constellations,  e.  g.,  the  Great  Bear  or 
Charles'  Wain,  the  Septentriones  of  the  Romans  ; 
the  Lesser  Bear  with  its  remarkable  pole-star ;  the 
Pleiades  with  their  "  sweet  influences,"  and  the 
Hyades,  whose  frequent  rains  "  vex  the  sea." 

Upon  the  whole,  in  view  of  the  antiquity  of  the 
usage  and  the  character  of  the  early  Hebrews,  it 
seems  most  natural  to  trace  their  sense  of  its  sa- 
credness and  completeness  to  its  original  associa 
tions  with  the  times  and  means  of  religious  wor 
ship. 

1  Essaj/s  Philological  and  Oritieal,    New  York,  187& 


CHAPTER  III.  1-10. 


89 


DOCTRINAL  AND  MORAL. 

I.  This  chapter  contains  one  of  the  passages  in 
the  Old  Testament  in  which  the  great  spiritual 
adversary  of  God  and  man  is  spoken  of  under 
the  name  Satan.  The  other  places  are  1  Chron. 
xxi.  1  and  the  prologue  to  the  book  of  Job.   (The 

word  1^^  occurs  also  in  2  Sam.  xix.  2.3  and  Ps. 
cix.  6,  I)ut  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  it  is 
n.ted  in  these  passages  in  any  other  than  an  appel- 
lative sense  =  adversary.)  It  is  a  favorite  notion 
with  "  the  later  criticism,"  that  Zechariah  imported 
his  conception  of  Satan  from  the  Zoroastrian  doc- 
trine of  Ahriman,  tlie  original  source  of  all  moral 
and  physical  evil,  the  chief  of  malignant  spirits,  the 
king  of  darkness  and  of  death,  and  consequently 
the  eternal  enemy  of  Ormuzd,  and  of  his  kingdom 
of  light.  But  there  is  neither  historical  nor  logical 
foundation  for  this  fancy.  During  the  very  few 
years  which  elapsed  between  the  Persian  conquest 
of  Babylon  and  the  appearance  of  Zechariah  as 
a  prophet,  there  was  not  time  for  the  theological 
notions  of  the  Zend-avesta  to  penetrate  the  Jewish 
mind  and  to  color  its  conceptions  of  the  unseen 
world.  The  dualism  of  Zoroaster  must  have  had 
a  most  extraordinary  degree  of  self-propagating 
power,  to  pass  in  so  short  a  time  from  the  central 
point  of  the  Persian  Empire  to  one  of  its  farthest 
outlying  provinces.  Besides,  Zechariali's  doctrine 
of  Satan  differs  fundamentally  from  the  Persian 
conception  of  Ahriman.  The  latter  is  an  inde- 
pendent, eternal,  and  self-existent  principle, whereas 
the  former  is  a  created,  fallen,  malignant  being,  of 
vast  capacity  and  immense  power  of  mischief,  but 
still  under  the  control  of  the  Almighty,  often  thwart- 
ed in  his  machinations,  and  destined  one  day  to  an 
utter  and  disastrous  overthrow.  Nor  had  Zech- 
ariah any  need  to  learn  from  the  Persian  theol- 
ogy. The  existing  precedents  in  the  sacred  books 
of  the  Jews  furnished  him  with  all  the  materials 
necessary  to  construct  or  to  understand  the  sym- 
bolical vision  vouchsafed  to  him.  What  he  sees  is 
the  head  and  representative  of  the  nation  in  sacred 
things  standing  in  solemn  service  before  the  Angel 
of  Jehovah,  who  is  attended  by  a  train  of  angelic 
ministers  (ver.  7),  while  over  against  this  important 
official  stands  Satan  accusing  and  opposing ;  and 
in  the  end  Jehovah  rebukes  the  adversary  and  fa- 
vors his  own  servant.  Manifestly  this  corresponds 
in  form  and  in  substance  to  what  is  contained  in 
the  prologue  of  the  book  of  Job,  the  date  of  which 
is  allowed  on  all  hands  not  to  be  later  than  the 
Solomonic  era. 

A  remarkable  confirmation  of  this  view  is  given 
in  the  New  Testament,  where  (Rev.  xii.  10)  Satan 
is  called,  "  the  accuser  of  our  brethren,  who  accuses 
[6  KaTTtyopwi']  them  before  our  God  day  and  night." 
Accusation  is  the  element  of  his  being.  He  accuses 
God  to  men  (cf  Gen.  iii.  4,  5),  and  he  accuses  men 
to  God  (as  in  Job  and  in  this  passage).  Hence 
his  usual  name  in  the  New  Testament,  DIabolns, 
from  SiafiaWftv  =  to  set  at  variance,  namely,  by 
slander,  —  a  descriptive  title  quite  as  strong  as  the 
Hebrew  term,  Satan  =  opposer,  the  inherent  and 
everlasting  adversary  of  God  and  man,  and  of  all 
thf.t  is  good.  This  antagonism,  however,  takes  a 
particular  form  which  runs  through  all  the  Scrip- 
lure  from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  and  is  seen  not  dim- 
ly in  our  prophet.  In  the  curse  pronounced  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden  upon  the  tempter,  the  Old  Serpent 
/Rev.  xii.  9),  God  declared  that  He  would  put  en- 
laity  between  him  and  the  woman,  and  not  only 


that,  but  "  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed  ;  it  shall 
bruise  thy  head,  £^nd  tbou  shalt  bruise  his  heel." 
The  seed  of  Satan  are  all  the  ungodly,  of  whom  he 
is  the  head  ;  the  seed  of  the  woman  are  all  thegodly, 
of  whom  Christ  is  the  head.  These  two  heads  stand 
in  mortal  conflict;  both  suffe;;,  but  the  one  only  in 
the  extremities,  the  other  in  a  vital  part.  "  For  this 
purpose  was  the  Son  of  God  manifested,  that  He 
might  destroy  the  works  of  tlic  devil  "  ( 1  John  iiL 
8).  In  the  end  tlie  kingdom  of  onr  God  and  the 
power  of  his  Christ  will  be  too  much  for  the  craft 
and  malice  of  Satan.  Still  that  malignant  being 
opposes  the  truth,  and  leaves  no  stone  unturned  to 
turn  away  God's  favor  from  his  people,  and  thus 
overthrow  the  entire  redemptive  economy.  This  is 
the  point  of  the  symbolical  vision  here.  Did  the 
Lord  cast  off  his  people  entirely  and  recall  hia 
promised  grace,  the  historical  basis  for  the  Messiah 
to  come  would  perish,  and  no  room  be  left  for  his 
apjjearance  according  to  the  ancient  predictions 
The  issue,  then,  was  vital.  It  did  not  concern  an 
individual  merely  ;  it  did  not  belong  only  to  some 
one  particular  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  restored 
exiles;  but  it  touched  the  very  existence  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  If  the  confessed  sins 
of  Israel  were  sufficient  to  secure  their  final  rejec- 
tion from  God  at  that  stage  of  their  history,  the 
hopes  of  the  race  were  blasted,  and  the  prospect 
of  a  blessing  for  all  the  families  of  the  earth,  be- 
came a  beautiful  but  empty  dream. 

2.  The  doctrines  of  grace  are  finely  illustrated 
in  this  vision.  The  opposition  of  Satan  is  evidently 
grounded  on  a  charge  of  sin  in  Joshua  and  those 
for  whom  he  acts.  Joshua  came  before  the  Angel 
of  Jehovah  in  his  representative  capacity,  which 
of  course  implies  the  existence  of  sin  to  be  atoned 
for  and  pardoned,  for  holy  beings  need  no  sacrific 
ing  priesthood  between  them  and  God.  This  was 
emphasized  at  the  present  time  by  the  recollection 
of  the  abominations  which  had  called  down  the 
Babylonian  captivity,  and  the  still  more  recent  re- 
missness of  the  restored  people  in  building  the 
Temple.  The  Jews  were  weak  in  faith,  despondent 
in  spirit,  and  more  prone  to  labor  for  their  tempo- 
ral fortunes  than  for  their  spiritual  interests.  Sa- 
tan then  had  a  high  vantage-ground  from  which 
to  oppose  them.  But  mark  the  source  of  his  re- 
pulse. "  Jehovah,  Jehovah  that  chooses  Jerusalem, 
rebuke  thee  !  "  The  people  are  reminded  here,  as 
they  so  often  were  in  earlier  times,  that  they  had 
not  chosen  the  Lord,  but  He  had  chosen  them.  It 
was  not  their  numbers,  nor  wisdom,  nor  wea'th, 
nor  moral  excellence  (Deut.  vii.  7,  8)  which  in- 
duced Him  to  make  them  the  depository  of  his 
truth  and  the  channel  of  his  grace  to  a  fallen  world. 
It  was  his  own  sovereign,  condescending  grace 
which  had  its  own  reasons,  but  not  reasons  subsist- 
ing in  the  moral  qualities  of  Israel.  As  He  had 
chosen  them  once,  the  election  still  continued,  and 
was  a  valid  reason  why  they  should  not  be  cast  off. 
Nay,  the  very  circumstances  which  Satan  might 
plead  against  them  were  in  anothe-  point  of  view 
arguments  in  their  favor.  They  had  been  in  the 
glowing  furnace  of  Chaldsean  bondage  and  exile, 
and  the  smell  of  fire  was  still  on  their  garments. 
Everything  in  their  condition  spoke  of  apostasy 
and  its  merited  recompense.  They  were  a  ver» 
small  remnant  left  of  that  proud  kingdom  which 
once  stretched  from  the  Leontes  to  Egypt,  and 
from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Mediterranean.  It  was 
difficult  to  see  any  trace  of  the  former  grandeur  in 
the  pQverty-stricken  colony  which  gathered  around 
their  fathers'  graves.  But  their  very  fewness  and 
poverty  and  weakness  pleaded  for  thenc    They  had 


10 


ZECHARIAH. 


been  rescued  from  the  common  doom  of  trans- 
planted people  by  a  peculiar  providence.  A  forced 
migration  of  an  entire  population  to  a  distant 
land  usually  breaks  the  old  a.^sociation  entirely  and 
forever.  New  ties  and  interests  are  formed,  and 
the  present  drives  the  past  out  of  view  and  out  of 
memory.  But  here  God,  by  the  hand  of  a  man 
whom  He  had  called  and  named  centuries  before 
he  was  born  (Is.  .xliv.  28,  xlv.  1),  iiad  broken  the 
fetters  and  recalled  bis  banished  ones.  The  work 
of  rcestablishment  had  beuun,  and  should  it  cease  "? 
Nay,  verily.  The  brand  so  carefully  rescued  from 
a  general  conflagration,  would  be  preserved,  not- 
withstanding all  the  clamor  of  Satan.  He  who 
had  begun  the  good  work  would  carry  it  on  to 
completion.  The  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are 
without  repentance. 

3.  The  doctrine  of  gratuitous  forgiveness  is  the 
glory  of  the  Gospel.  "  Not  by  works  of  righte- 
ousness which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his 
mercy  he  saved  us."  Even  so  was  the  Church 
taught  in  the  older  dispensation,  not  only  by  word 
as  when  Abraham's  faith  was  counted  for  righte- 
ousness and  by  type,  as  in  all  the  sacrifices,  but 
»lso  by  symbol  as  in  the  case  of  Joshua,  the  high 
Driest.  There  was  no  denial  of  the  truth  of  the 
lacts  upon  which  Satan  based  his  accusation.  On 
the  contrary,  open  confession  was  made  in  the 
very  appearance  of  the  priest.  Instead  of  being 
arrayed  in  the  pure  and  shining  robes  expressly 
appointed  for  sacerdotal  functions,  he  was  clad  in 
filthy  garments,  — fit  emblem  of  the  hideous  moral 
stains  by  which  he  and  his  people  were  soiled. 
Each  one  of  those  polluted  garments  echoed  the 
words  of  the  royal  penitent,  "  I  acknowledge 
my  transgression,  and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me  " 
(Ps.  li.  3).  Physical  stains  may  be  extracted,  but 
no  human  agency  in  all  the  world  can  take  the 
soil  of  sin  from  the  conscience.  That  is  done  only 
by  the  act  of  the  Lord  of  the  conscience.  Its  ac- 
complishment here  was  represented  by  the  order 
to  remove  the  filthy  garments  and  replace  them 
by  festal  raiment.  It  was  a  sovereign  act  of  the 
God  of  grace,  —  I  have  caused  thine  iniquity  to 
pass  from  thee.  This  lies  at  the  root  of  all  true 
religion.  "  There  is  forgiveness  with  thee  that 
thou  mayest  be  feared."  Despair  is  death.  He 
who  has  no  hope  or  prospect  of  the  divine  mercy, 
has  nothing  left  but  to  go  on  in  sin  and  at  last  lie 
down  in  interminable  sorrow.  To  encourage  Is- 
rael, fast  verging  to  such  a  forlorn  condition,  this 
vision  was  vouchsafed.  Its  aim  was  not  to  send 
the  people  to  sleep  in  their  sins  with  the  false  peace 
of  self-righteousness,  but  to  assure  them  that,  not- 
withstanding the  magnitude  of  those  sins,  God 
would  of  his  own  free  grace  remit  the  penalty  and 
bestow  the  gift  of  justification  upon  the  high 
priest,  and  in  him  upon  the  nation  at  large.  Such 
an  assurance  gives  peace.  Who  is  he  that  con- 
demneth  1     It  is  God  that  justifieth. 

4.  Great  as  were  the  present  privileges  of  the 
covenant  people,  something  better  was  in  store. 
Their  whole  economy  was  introductory  and  pre- 
parative. The  golden  age  of  the  Hebrews,  unlike 
that  of  all  other  ancient  nations,  was  not  in  the 
past  but  the  future.  Poets  and  Prophets  rejoiced 
to  sing  of  one  who  was  to  come,  in  whom  all  the 
families  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  Priests 
and  kings  were  embodied  types  of  the  character 
»nd  functions  of  this  great  deliverer.  Reminding 
Joshua  and  his  colleagues  of  this  truth,  Jehovah 
renews  the  ]iromise  of  one  who  should  be  by  eni- 
"nence  his  servant.  In  naming  him,  the  precise 
•rm  used  by  the  old-jr  Prouhets  is  employed  afiain, 


the  Branch,  which  does  not  mean  "  a  limb  in  th« 
sense  of  one  among  many  on  the  same  tree,  b  it  8 
shoot  which  springs  up  from  the  root,  and  which, 
though  small  at  first,  becomes  a  tree  of  wonderful 
qualities"  (Cowles).  The  monarchy  which  in  the 
persons  of  David  and  his  son  Solomon  stood  like  s 
majestic  and  wide-sjircadinii'  tree,  now  lay  in  ruins, 
—  the  huge  trunk  cut  down,  mangled,  burned 
But  from  the  stump  there  should  come  a  slendei 
shoot,  which  in  course  of  time  would  grow  up  into 
a  mighty  monarch  of  the  forest,  putting  out  liraba 
and  foliage  under  which  whole  nations  should  col- 
lect themselves.  The  term  therefore  kei)t  steadily 
in  view  the  salient  points  the  people  were  to  seize. 
The  lowly,  unpretending,  unpromising  origin  of 
this  deliverer  and  the  ultimately  vast  sweep  of  his 
beneficent  agency.  In  all  outward  aspects  he  stood 
at  the  farthest  possible  remove  from  his  distin- 
guished types,  whether  of  the  priestly  or  kingly 
line.  He  never  bore  the  brilliant  breast-plate  of 
Aaron  into  the  holy  of  holies,  nor  did  his  hand 
hold  a  sceptre  except  the  mocking  reed  of  Pilate's 
soldiers  ;  yet  his  sacerdotal  function  was  the  only 
real  and  efficacious  one  the  earth  ever  saw,  and 
his  royal  office  has  secured  a  depth  of  attachment 
and  a  fullness  of  service  to  which  all  the  records 
of  earth-born  loyalty  together  furnish  no  parallel. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PBACTICAL. 

Wordsworth  :  Ver.  1 .  Satan  stood  at  Joshua's 
right  hand  and  endeavored  to  work  his  ruin.  So 
Satan  stood  at  the  right  hand  of  our  Joshua  on 
the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  and  tempted  him  to 
cast  himself  down.  He  stood  at  Christ's  right 
hand  when  He  was  betrayed  bj-  Judas  into  whom 
Satan  entered ;  he  tempted  him  in  his  agony  and 
passion  ;  and  he  is  still  standing  at  Christ's  right 
hand  by  lii>  ojiposition  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gos- 
pel and  by  his  sowing  tares  of  heresy  in  his  Church. 
—  Ver.  2.  Here  is  a  solemn  warning  against  the 
sarcastic,  bitter,  and  virulent  spirit  which  so  often 
shows  itself  in  speaking  and  writing  against  others. 
The  holy  angels,  even  in  contending  against  Sa- 
tan, use  mild  words.  But  these  rash  and  reckless 
persons  imitate  Satan  who  is  called  in  Scripture 
Diabolus  or  Calumniator.  How  can  they  hope 
to  be  with  good  angels  hereafter "?  Must  they  not 
rather  look  to  be  with  those  wretched  fiends  whom 
they  imitate  1 

Calvin  :  Jehovah  who  chooses  Jerusalem.  We 
are  reminded  that  we  are  not  to  consider  our  des- 
erts in  order  to  gain  help  from  God,  for  this 
wholly  depends  upon  gratuitous  adoption.  Hence, 
though  we  are  unworthy  that  God  should  fight  for 
us,  yet  his  election  is  sufficient,  as  he  proclaims 
war  against  Satan  in  our  behalf.  It  hence  follows 
that  those  men  who  obscure  and  seek  as  far  as  they 
can  to  extinguish  the  doctrine  of  election,  are  en- 
emies to  the  human  race  ;  for  they  strive  their  ut- 
most to  subvert  every  assurance  of  salvation. 

OwKN  :  Vers.  3-5.  Two  things  are  here  said 
to  belong  to  our  free  acceptance  with  God.  (1.) 
The  taking  away  of  the  guilt  of  our  sin,  our  filthy 
robes ;  this  is  done  by  the  death  of  Christ,  the 
proper  fruit  of  which  is  remission  of  sin.  (2.)  But 
more  is  required,  even  a  collation  of  righteousness, 
and  thereby  a  right  to  life  eternal.  This  is  here 
called  change  of  raiment,  or,  as  it  is  called  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  Isaiah  (Ixi.  10),  the  garments  of 
salvation,  the  robe  of  righteousness.  Now  this  if 
made  ours  only  by  the  obedience  of  Christ,  as  thf 
other  is  by  his  death. 


CH  Ll'TEU  IV.  .-14.  41 


Moore:    Ver.  7.    A  gratuitous  justification  fur-   be  swallowed  up  in  the  admiration  of  to  all  eter 
nishes  no  excuse  for  inaction  ami  sin,  but  leads  to  j  nity. 
more   entire    oliodience Fidelity  in  God's  I      Cowlks  :     /  will  execute,  etc.     The    engraving 


service  shall  be  gloriously  rewarded 

Gill  :  Men  of  wonder.  The  people  of  God  are 
wondered  at  by  themselves,  that  (4od  should  have 
any  love  for  them,  call  them  by  his  grace  and  at 
1»  ■•t  bring  them  to  glory  ;  wondered  at  by  men  of 
t'  {  w  odd  that  they  should  make  such  a  choice  as 
they  do,  should  bear  afflictions  with  so  much  pa- 
tience, and  even  thrive  and  flourish  amidst  them; 
wondered  at  by  the  angels  as  they  are  the  chosen 
of  God,  the  redeemed  of  the  Lamb,  and  called 
from  among  men  ;  and  they  shall  be  spectators 
of  wonderful  things  themselves,  which  they  will 


of  the  Church  into  forms  of  spiritual  beauty,  is 
eminently  God's  work  by  the  chisel  of  his  provi- 
dence and  the  agency  of  his  Spirit. 

Jay  :  Ver.  10.  The  reign  of  the  Messiah  is  dis- 
tinguished by  three  things  :  (1.)  Enjoyment.  The 
very  image  of  the  vine  and  the  fig  tree  is  delight- 
ful. (2.)  Liberty.  Slaves  and  captives  did  not 
sit  under  their  vines  and  fig  trees,  nor  did  proprie- 
tors in  time  of  war.  (3.)  Benevolence.  "  Ye  shall 
call  every  man,"  etc.  There  is  no  selfishness,  no 
envy.  All  are  anxious  that  others  should  partake 
of  their  privileges. 


VISION  V.   THE  CANDLESTICK  WITH  THE  TWO  OLIVE  TREES. 

Chapter  IV. 

A.    A  Golden  Candelabrum  and  its  Two  Oil  Feeders  (vers.  1-5).     B.    Divine  Graet 

the  Source  of  Strength  and  Success  (vers.  6-10).     C.    The  Means  by  which 

that  Grace  is  obtained  (vers.  11—14). 

1  And  the  angel  that  talked  with  me  came  again,  and  waked  me,  as  a  man  who  is 

2  waked  out  of  his  sleep ;  And  said  to  me,  What  seest  thou  ?  And  I  said,^  I  have 
looked,  and  behold  a  candlestick  all  of  gold,  and  its  oil-vessel  ^  upon  the  top  of  it  and 
its  seven  lamps  upon  it,  seven  pipes  each  ^  for  the  lamps  which  are  upon  the  top  of 

3  it ;  and  two  olive  trees  by  it,  one  on  the  right  of  the  oil-vessel  and  the  other  on  tha 

4  left  of  it ;  And  I  answered  and  spake  to  the  angel  that  talked  with  me,  saying, 

5  What  are  these,  my  lord  ?    And  the  angel  that  talked  with  me  answered  and  said 

6  to  me,  Knowest  thou  not  what  these  are  ?  And  I  said,  No,  my  lord.  Ajid  he 
answered  and  spake  to  me,  saying  :  This  is  the  word  of  Jehovah  to  Zerubbabel, 
saying,  Not  by  might  and  not  by  power,'*  but  by  my  Spirit,  saitli  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

7  Who  art  thou,  0  great  mountain,  before  Zerubbabel?^    Be  a  plain  !*^   And  he  shall 

8  bring  forth  the  top  stone ''  with  shoutings,  Grace,  grace  unto  it !     And  the  word  of 

9  Jehovah  came  to  me,  saying.  The  hands  of  Zerubbabel  have  laid  the  foundation  of 
this  house,  and  his  hands  shall  finish  it,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  Jehovah  of  Hosts 

10  hath  sent  me  to  you.     For  who  despiseth  *  the  day  of  small  things  ?     And  they 
rejoice  and  see  the  plummet  in  the  hand  of  Zerubbabel,  [even]  those  seven  ;  ^  the 

11  eyes  of  Jehovah,  they  go  to  and  fro  through  the  whole  earth.     And  I  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  What  are  these  two  olive  trees  on  the  right  of  the  candlestick 

12  and  on  the  left?     And  I  answered  the  second  time  and  said  to  him.  What  are  the 
two  branches  ^"  of  the  olive  trees,  which  by  means  of  the  two  golden  spouts  ^^  emptj 

13  the  gold  ^^  out  of  themselves  ?      And  he  spake  to  me,  saying,  Knowest  thou  not 

14  what  these  are  ?     And  I  said,  No,  my  lord.    And  he  said,  These  are  the  two  sons 
of  oil  which  stand  before  *^  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth. 


TEXTUAL  AND   GRAMMATICAli. 

1  Ter.  2.  —  The  Eethibh  "ipS*1  must  be  considered  a  copyist's  error;  the  Kerl,  besides  a^TKeing  better  with  th« 
connection  and  with  usage,  is  found  in  numerous  MS3.,  and  also  in  the  LXX.,  Itala,  Vulg.,  Targum,  and  Peshito. 

3  Ver  2.  —  P  V^,  which  is  pointed  correctly,  may  stand  for  nn-  !1,  as  ^l^^H,  Hos.  xii.  2,  which  escapes  tbt 

T\'  T  T  •■.  T  : 

neceesity  of  assuming  a  masculine    ,  D,  of  which  there  is  no  other  example. 

8  Ver.  2.  —  n^5^'l    nL''5^^,  seven  and  seven,  must  be  taken  distributively,  for  which  there  is  an  eTiact  F«raU« 
b  2  Sam.  zsi.  20.   Cf.  l':bron.  °xx.  6- 


vz 


ZECHARIAH. 


4  Ver.  6.  — It  seems  impossible  to  establish  aoy  diatinction  between  TTf  and  TT2.  Both  are  used  indiscriminatel; 
»f  physical  or  mental  or  moral  power. 

6  Ver.  7-  —  The  ftlasoretic  interpunction  requires  "  before  Zerubbabel  "  to  be  connected  with  what  goes  before,  ana 
not,  as  £.  V.,  with  what  follows. 

6  Ver.  7.  —  Be  a  plain  !  is  quite  as  correct  a  rendering  of  "litZ7^X37  as  to  supply  a  future  (E.  V.),  and  surely  far  mor« 
■pirited. 

7  Ver.  7. —The  Raphe  over  the  last  letter  of  fltt^Sin  shows  that  this  word  is  a  feminine  form  of  tt?S'~l,  and  in 
opposition  with  ]ZSn. 

8  Ver.  10.  —  T5  is  one  of  the  two  instances  in  which  verbs  of  this  clajs  take  Pattach  instead  of  Kamets.  Th« 
other  verb  is  PIQ. 

9  Ver.  10.  —  "  Those  seven."  The  translation  makes  this  phrase  the  subject  of  the  verb  r^oice.  Professor  Cowla» 
objects  to  the  "violent  inversion,''  but  this  is  not  worse  than  to  disregard  the  accents  .and  both  the  tense  and  number  of 
the  verb,  by  rendering  "  who  hath  despised,  etc..  Let  them  rejoice." 

10  Ver.  12. —  '731!?,  oTT.  Ary.,  lit.,  ears,  here  twigs  or  branches,  so  called  because  of  their  resemblance  to  ripe  eari 
of  grain,  or  (Fiirst)  of  their  undulating  motion. 

11  Ver.  12. —  n'1~li^31*.  This  also  is  an  an-.  Key.  It  does  not  mean  presses  (Hengstenberg),  which  is  sustained  neia 
ther  by  etymology  nor  taste ;  nor  receptacles  (Pressel),  which  is  too  vague ;  but,  as  E.  V.,  pipes,  i.  «.,  tubes  or  spoutt 
through  which  the  oil  was  discharged. 

12  Ver.  12.  —  There  is  a  play  upon  words  here.  The  shining  oil  is  Uke  Uquid  gold  ;  hence  it  is  said  the  golden  spouti 
pour  gold  out  of  themselves. 

18  Ver.  14  —  v37  (as  Henderson  suggests)  is  elliptical  for  "'pQ'vJ?  =  before  ;  or  it  may  be  (as  1  Kings  xxii.  19,  Ib. 
Ti.  2)  lit.,  above  him,  which  would  naturally  be  the  appearance  if  the  Lord  was  sitting  and  they  were  standing. 


BXEQETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

In  the  former  vision  there  was  a  lively  display 
of  the  means  and  ground  of  the  forgiveness  of  sin. 
This  one  advances  farther,  and  shows  a  positive 
communication  of  grace  by  which  all  obstacles  are 
overcome  and  the  establishment  of  God's  kingdom 
effectually  secured. 

a.  The  Vision  (vers.  1-.5).  Ver.  1.  And  the 
angel  ....  out  of  his  sleep.  These  words  im- 
ply a  pause  between  this  vision  and  the  preceding 
one,  during  which  the  interpreting  angel  had 
withdrawn,  and  the  prophet  had  relapsed  into  the 
condition  of  ordinary  consciousness.  This  con- 
dition, compared  with  the  ecstatic  state  in  which 
Bupersensual  objects  are  seen,  was  like  sleep  com- 
pared with  waking.  Hence  Zechariah  needed  to 
be  aroused  from  his  ordinary  and  normal  state. 
This  was  done  by  the  return  of  the  interpreting 
angel.  The  new  vision  presented  to  him  is  strik- 
ing. A  candlestick  of  gold  with  an  oil-vessel  on 
top,  from  which  the  oil  flows  into  each  one  of  the 
seven  lamps  through  seven  tubes ;  and  two  olive 
trees  by  the  side  of  the  candlestick. 

Ver.  2.  And  I  said  .  .  .  the  top  of  it.  Upon  the 
var.  read,  see  Gram,  and  Text.  The  candlestick 
was  formed  after  the  pattern  of  the  one  in  the  tab- 
ernacle (Kx.  XXV.  .31-.37),  but  with  some  remark- 
able variations.  The  candelabrum  the  prophet 
saw  had  a  round  vessel  on  its  top,  and  seven  feed- 
ing-tubes for  each  lamp,  ;ind  two  trees  at  its  sides, 
none  of  which  were  seen  in  the  original  pattern  in 
the  sanctuary.  The  precise  meaning  of  the  phrase 
rendered,  seven  pipes  each,  lit.,  "  seven  and  sev- 
en," has  been  much  contested.  Hitzig  and  Hen- 
derson propose  an  alteration  of  the  text,  omitting 
one  of  the  sevens,  in  accordance  with  the  LXX. 
and  Vulgate.  Pressel  gains  the  same  end  by  con- 
necting the  first  seven  with  what  precedes,  —  which 
is  harsh,  and  forbidden  by  the  interpunction.  Koh- 
ler  adds  the  two  together,  thus  making  the  number 
of  pipes  fourteen,  but  if  the  prophet  had  meant 
riiat,  he  would  have  said  so.  It  is  better  to  take 
the  text  as  it  stands.  Forty-nine  tubes  are  very 
many  to  i  roceed  from  one  oil-bowl,  but  as  we  know 


not  the  size  of  either  the  vessel  or  the  pipes,  no 
judgment  can  be  expressed  against  the  possibility 
of  such  a  thing.  That  it  was  probable,  seems  to  be 
clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  visionary  can- 
dlestick is  a  designed  enlargement  of  the  real  one 
made  by  Moses. 

Ver.  3.  Two  olive  trees.  The  meaning  of 
these  trees  is  further  explained  in  vers.  12-14. 
The  candlestick  represents  the  Church  as  the  ap- 
pointed light-bearer  in  a  dark  world.  This  is  con- 
firmed by  such  passages  in  the  New  Testament  as 
Matt.  V.  14,  16,  Luke  xii.  35,  Philip,  ii.  15,  and  by 
the  express  statement  in  Rev.  i.  20,  "  the  seven 
candlesticks  which  thou  sawest  are  the  seven 
churches."  The  seven  lamps  indicated  the  fullness 
of  the  light  that  was  shed,  and  the  seven  times 
seven  tubes  the  number  and  variety  of  the  chan- 
nels by  which  grace  was  imparted  to  the  luminary. 

Vers.  4,  5.  And  I  answered  .  .  .  no,  my  Lord. 
"  I  answered,"  i.  e.,  to  the  statement  suggested  in 
the  visionary  scene.  The  counter-question  of  the 
angel  implies  that  the  prophet  might  have  learned 
the  object  of  the  vision  from  the  analogy  of  the 
golden  candlestick  in  the  holy  place.  Then  the 
angel  gives  him  the  answer. 

6.  Divine  Grace  the  Source  of  all  Strength  (vv.  6- 
10).  Ver.  6.  This  is  the  word,  etc.  The  vision 
was  an  embodied  prophecy  intended  in  the  first 
instance  for  the  guidance  and  comfort  of  Zerub- 
babel ;  and  its  sum  was  given  in  the  abrupt  utter- 
ance :  "  Not  by  might,"  etc.  That  is,  the  work 
which  the  Hebrew  governor  has  undertaken  will 
be  carried  out  not  by  human  strength  in  any  form, 
but  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  candlestick  gave 
light,  but  it  could  not  do  this  unless  furnished  with 
a  plentiful  supply  of  oil.  So  all  that  was  needful 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  Church  of  God  on 
earth,  including  the  restoration  of  its  material  cen- 
tre at  the  time,  the  Temple,  could  be  attained  only 
by  the  same  blessed  agency.  That  the  oil  of  the 
lamps  should  symbolize  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  the  less 
strange,  as  the  anointing  oil  of  consecration  was 
understood  always  to  mean  this.  The  attempt  of 
Kliefotli   to  establish    a  distinction    between    the 

two  words  ^^t);'  and  "'^JJ""".'  *s  if  the  former  a] 


CHAPTEH  IV.  1-u. 


4b 


•rays  meant  anointing  oil,  and  the  latter,  illumina- 
ting oil,  is  altogether  vain.  Both  are  used  promis- 
cuously for  either  purpose,  and  both  may  have  tlie 
same  symbolic  signification. 

Ver.  7.  Who  art  thou,  etc.  As  the  resources 
of  the  Jewish  leader  were  few,  and  the  obstacle*  in 
the  way  nunierons  and  formidable,  the  thought 
contained  in  ver.  6  is  expanded  in  a  striking  form. 
The  exclamation.  Who  art,  etc.,  gives  great  vivid- 
ness to  the  sentiment,  and  this  is  still  further  in- 
creased by  the  concise  force  of  the  appended  com- 
mand, Into  a  /ilain .'  Some  understand  b}'  the 
mountain  the  Persian  Empire,  which  is  to  be  lev- 
eled to  a  plain  (Chald.,  Jerome,  Kimchi,  Hitzig, 
Hengstenberg,  Keil,  etc.).  But  it  is  better  to  take 
it  as  a  figure  of  the  colossal  difficulties  which  rose 
mountain  high  at  the  continuation  and  completion 
of  the  building  of  the  temple.  So  Kliefoth,  Neu- 
mann, and  most  interpreters.  This  view  includes 
the  other,  and  at  the  same  time  allows  of  an  appli- 
cation of  the  assurance  to  the  Church  in  all  ages. 
That  a  mountain  in  prophecy  usually  symbolizes 
a  kingdom,  as  Hengstenberg  insists,  surely  does  not 
compel  us  always  to  understand  it  in  that  sense. 
As  one  well  says,  the  imagery  of  the  Bible  is  not 
stereotype.  And  he  shall  bring,  etc.  The  sec- 
ond half  of  the  verse  foretells  the  joyful  comple- 
tion of  the  Temple.  The  stone  mentioned  is  not, 
as  Hengstenberg  and  Henderson  say  (with  whom 
agrees  Dr.  J.  A.  Alexander,  in  his  comment  upon  Ps. 
cxviii.  22),  the  foundation-stone,  for  which  a  differ- 
ent phrase  is  used  (Job  xxxviii.  6,  Jer.  li.  2G),  but 
the  finishing  or  gable  stone.  Nor  can  the  verb  be 
rendered  as  a  simple  preterite  (Hengstenberg),  but 
in  accordance  with  Vav  cons.,  must  be  given  as  in 
E.  v.,  "  And  he  shall  bring,"  etc  The  nomina- 
tive to  the  verb  is  not  Jehovah  (Henderson),  but 
Zerubbabel,  as  the  next  verse  plainly  shows.  The 
Jewish  leader  shall  at  last  bring  forth  the  cope- 
stone  amidst  loud  acclamations  of  the  people,  crv- 
ing,  Grace,  grace  imto  it !  i.  e..  May  God  grant 
hif  grace  to  the  stone  and  the  building  it  repre- 
sents, so  that  it  may  stand  forever. 

Ver.  8.  An  additional  communication  is  now 
made  to  the  Prophet.  Its  source  is  not  mentioned, 
but  the  analogy  of  ver.  9  h  with  ii.  9-11  indicates 
the  angel  of  Jehovah  as  the  author. 

Ver.  9.  The  hands  of  ...  .  sent  me.  As 
Zerubbabel  had  laid  the  foundation  of  the  house 
of  God  (Ezra  Hi.  8-10  ;  Hag.  ii.  18),  so  should  he 
finish  it.  A  confirmation  of  this  promise  is  given 
in  the  next  verse. 

Ver.  10.  For  who  despiseth  ....  whole 
earth.  The  construction  here  is  nmch  disputed. 
Many  (LXX.,  Targum,  Peshito,  Vulgate,  Calvin, 
Ewaiii,  etc.)  make  the  second  clause  the  apodosis 
of  the  first,  thus,  "  for  whoever  despises  the  day  of 
email  things,  they  shall   see  with  joy,"  etc.     But 

''^,  cannot  be  rendered  whoever,  when  followed  by 
a  preterite  witli  Vav  cons.  Keil  and  Wordsworth 
retain  the  interrogation,  but  consider  it  =  a  denial ; 
in  the  sense  that  no  one  who  hopes  to  achieve,  or 
does  achieve,  anything  great,  despises  the  dav  of 
small  things.  But  this  gets  a  meaniuL;  out  of"  the 
text  by  first  putting  it  in.  It  is  better  to  take  the 
clause  as  a  general  challenge,  "  Who  despises," 
etc.,  i.  e.,  with  reason.  Then  follows  the  ground 
of  the  question  in  the  rest  of  the  verse,  the  stac- 
lato  style  of  which  is  well  explained  by  Pressel  as 
t  climax,  of  which  the  steps  are  three,  namely, 
,'l.)  Those  setrw,  already  mentioned  in  theprevi- 
»us  vision.  (2.)  They  are  the  eyes  of  Jehovah. 
'3.)  They  sweej)  through  all  the  earth.     These  seven 


eyes,  the  seven-fold  radiations  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jehovah  (comp.  on  iii.  9),  gladly  see  the  plumn^.et, 
etc  However  discouraging  the  small  beginnings 
may  be  in  themselves,  the  willing  cooperation  of 
the  divine  Spirit  ensures  -success  to  the  enterpiis« 
of  Zerubbabel.  The  pluniLrjet  in  the  hand  indi- 
cates the  work  he  is  engaged  in. 

c.  The  means  by  which  this  aid  is  secured  (vers. 
11-14). 

Ver.  11.  And  I  answered  ....  left.  The 
main  portion  of  the  symbol  has  now  been  ex- 
plained, but  there  remains  one  feature  untouched, 
—  the  olive  trees  on  either  side  of  the  candlestick. 
Accordingly  the  Prophet  asks  the  interpreting  an- 
gel. But  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  he  re- 
news the  question  with  a  slight  modification.  The 
repetition  seems  to  indicate  a  conviction  in  his 
mind  of  the  great  significance  of  this  new  and  pe- 
culiar feature  of  the  candelabrum. 

Ver.  12.  I  answered  the  second  time,  etc. 
Here  it  is  the  branches  of  the  oil  trees  he  inquires 
about.  These  are  emphasized,  apparently,  because 
they  are  the  link  of  connection  between  the  can- 
delabrum and  the  trees,  and  because  the  peculiar- 
ity of  this  part  of  the  symbol  lay  in  the  fact,  that 
the  supply  of  oil  came  without  any  intervening 
agency  directly  from  the  source  in  nature.  These 
branches  through  spouts  discharge  at  once  their 
oil,  which  is  called  gold,  because  of  its  color  or 
preciousness.  A  similar  use  of  this  word  is  foiinc 
in  Job  xxxvii.  22,  where  it  is  said,  "  Gold  coraeth 
out  of  the  north,"  gold  being  put  for  the  golden 
brightness  of  the  sky  (E.  V.,  fair  weather).  The 
later  critics  incline  to  take  the  word  literally. 

Ver.  13.  To  awaken  his  attention  still  more  to 
the  importance  of  this  portion  of  the  symbol,  the 
angel  asks  the  Prophet  if  he  understood  its  mean- 
ing, and  being  answered  in  the  negative,  proceeds 
to  give  the  necessary  information. 

Ver.  14.  These  are  the  two  sons  of  oil,  etc. 
"Sons  of  oil  "^supplied  with  oil,  ;'.  e.,  anointed 
ones.  "  Stand  before  "  =  are  servants  of.  These 
sons  of  oil  are  not  the  believing  members  of  Is- 
rael and  the  Gentiles  (Kliefoth),  for  this  would 
confound  the  olive  trees  with  the  candlestick;  nor 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  (Hoffman,  Baumg.,  etc.), 
nor  Joshua  and  Zerubbabel  considered  as  individ- 
uals (Henderson,  Pressel),  for  the  supply  of  oil  to 
the  candlestick,  i.  e.,  the  communication  of  grace 
to  the  Church,  could  not  be  made  to  depend  upon 
the  lives  of  two  mortal  men.  The  phrase  rather 
denotes  the  regal  and  priestly  offices  which  were 
the  chief  media  in  the  Old  Testament  for  convey- 
ing God's  gracious  gifts  to  the  Church,  and  which 
at  the  time  of  the  vision  were  represented  by 
Joshua  and  Zerubbabel.  The  appropriateness  of 
the  designation  lies  in  the  fact  that  unction  was 
the  ceremony  by  which  persons  were  inducted  into 
these  offices. 

The  peculiar  encouragement  of  this  vision  ap- 
pears in  the  circumstance  that  the  Church  was 
still  represented  by  a  stately  candelabrum,  made 
as  formerly  of  solid  gold,  but  furnished  with  far 
more  numerous  pipes  of  communication,  and  sup- 
plied with  oil,  not  by  the  daily  service  of  the 
priests,  but  from  living  olive  trees  at  its  side  which 
continually  poured  in  a  fresh  and  abundant  stream 
of  the  golden  liquid. 


THEOUaiCAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.   The  Church  is   a  golden   light-bearer,   and 
therefore   at   once   precious  and   luminous-     Pre- 


14 


ZKCIIAKIAH. 


cious  in  the  sight  of  God  as  chosen  and  callod  and 
honored  by  Bini.  Zion  is  his  pec-uliar  inheritance, 
Its  members  are  his  jewels,  accjuired  by  an  im- 
measnrable  ransom.  Notwithstanding;,  therefore, 
their  fewness  or  obscurity  or  imperfections,  they 
are  properly  symbolized  by  an  article  made  of  solid 
gold.  But  this  article  is  as  significant  in  its  use 
as  it  is  in  its  material.  It  is  a  candlestick  or  lamp- 
stand.  Its  object  is  to  give  light.  Hence  our 
Lord  said  to  his  followers,  Ye  are  the  light  of  the 
world.  This  has  been  one  of  the  chief  functions 
of  the  Church  in  all  ages.  For  the  greater  part 
of  the  race  has  always  been  in  the  condition  de- 
scribed by  Isaiah  (Ix.  2),  "Darkness  covers  the 
earth  and  gross  darkness  the  peoples."  This  was 
the  natural  and  necessary  result  of  depravity, 
"  their  foolish  heart  was  darkened."  They  often 
made  great  advances  in  civilization,  but  there  was 
no  corresponding  growth  in  religious  opinion  or 
practice  ;  on  the  contrary,  "  professing  themselves 
to  be  wise  they  became  fools."  All  the  true  and 
pure  light  the  ancient  world  enjoyed  streamed  out 
from  the  candlestick  which  God  set  up  in  his 
chosen  people.  With  all  their  imperfections  the 
Jews  preserved  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God 
and  of  the  mode  of  acceptable  worship  ;  and  their 
sacred  books  were  a  torch  from  whicli  many  a 
minor  light  among  surrounding  nations  was  kin- 
dled. Still  more  largely  was  this  the  case  when 
the  new  economy  was  established.  It  was  intended 
to  be  diffusive  and  propagandist,  but  only  by  the 
force  of  light,  —  the  manifestation  of  the  truth.  It 
courted  the  day.  It  disowned  the  unfruitful  works 
of  darkness.  It  demanded  intelligent  faith  and 
adherence.  Never  was  there  a  more  unscriptural 
maxim  than  that  which  claims  ignorance  as  the 
mother  of  devotion.  The  Church  is  now,  as  she 
always  was,  a  light-bearer,  and  seeks  to  accom- 
plish her  ohjects  by  mental  and  moral  illumina- 
tion. Nor  is  there  the  least  ground  for  the  not  in- 
frequent charge  of  unfriendliness  to  the  progress 
of  discovery  in  physical  science.  Zion  holds  firm- 
ly that  the  author  of  nature  and  of  revelation  is 
one  and  the  same,  and  that  it  is  quite  impossible 
that  there  can  be  any  real  discordance  between  the 
two  forms  of  God's  self-disclosure.  She  objects 
to  hasty  inferences  and  unsound  deductions,  but 
knowledge,  true  knowledge  of  all  kinds,  she  wel- 
comes as  akin  to  her  own  nature,  and  subservi- 
ent to  those  great  ends  for  which  the  Most  High 
has  set  up  his  golden  candlestick  in  this  dark 
world. 

2.  But  the  Church  like  the  moon  shines  only 
with  a  borrowed  light.  She  has  nc  resources  of 
her  own.  All  depends  upon  the  central  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  not  only  for  illumination,  but  for 
every  other  kind  or  degree  of  influence.  This  is  a 
fundamental  truth  of  Scripture  and  experience. 
In  religious  development,  outward  or  inward,  the 
efficient  cause  always  lies  back  of  what  is  seen. 
God  uses  human  instruments,  and  rarely,  if  ever, 
operates  independently  of  them,  but  when  they 
effect  their  aim,  the  power  comes  from  above.  A 
sailing  vessel  perfectly  appointed  and  manned, 
cannot  move  in  a  calm.  The  most  ingenious  ma- 
chine accomplishes  nothing,  if  motive  power  be 
withheld.  In  like  manner  the  Church  is  helpless 
f  forsaken  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  A  new  birth,  a 
new  creation,  a  resurrection  from  death  in  tres- 
passes and  sins,  —  these  are  objects  which  mock 
ill  the  array  of  mere  human  agencies.  Only  He 
who  made  the  soul  and  breathed  into  it  of  his  own 
mspiration  can  recast  the  broken  mould  and  bring 
tack  the  fair  image  so  sadly  marred  by  sin.    Hence 


the  unspeakable  importance  in  all  Christian  work 
of  giving  due  honor  to  the  Spirit.  Neither  is  he 
that  planteth  anything,  nor  he  that  watereth,  but 
God  that  giveth  the  increase.  The  Apostles  wera 
held  fast  in  Jerusalem  until  the  Spirit  was  poured 
out  from  on  high.  Then  and  not  before,  the  Word 
had  free  course  and  was  glorified.  And  so  it  has 
been  ever  since.  Whether  in  individual  conver- 
sions or  in  mighty  movements  among  races  and 
nations,  the  effect  is  due  to  a  divine  and  supernat- 
ural cause.  In  the  great  Reformation  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  so  long  as  this  truth  was  recog- 
nized, the  work  went  on ;  but  when  an  arm  of 
flesh  was  introduced  and  reliance  placed  upon  gov- 
ernment or  policy,  a  retrograde  movement  began. 
God  is  jealous  for  his  honor  ;  his  glory  He  will  not 
give  to  another.  If  his  people  will  not  receive  the 
doctrine  that  all  real  advances  are  made  by  his 
Holy  Spirit,  then  He  teaches  them  by  sore  experi- 
ence that  nothing  can  be  done  by  might  or  by 
power,  by  the  very  best  human  appliances.  Le- 
viathan is  not  so  tamed.  "  He  esteemeth  iron 
as  straw,  and  brass  as  rotten  wood,  and  laugh- 
eth  at  the  shaking  of  a  spear."  Only  "  He  that 
made  him  can  make  his  sword  to  approach  unto 
him." 

3.  The  contempt  of  small  beginnings  especially 
in  religious  matters  has  been  quite  a  common  feel- 
ing. Yet  such  a  feeling  is  rebuked  by  the  whole 
experience  of  the  Church  of  God.  The  prospect 
of  a  godly  seed  on  the  earth  once  lay  wrapped  up 
in  a  childless  man,  "and  him  as  good  as  dead;  " 
and  yet  there  sprang  from  Abraham  as  many  as 
the  sand  which  is  by  the  sea-shore  innumerable. 
The  stripling  David  was  reproved  by  his  brothers 
and  derided  by  Goliath,  yet  a  stone  from  his  sling 
laid  the  giant  low.  The  Psalmist  sings  of  a  hand- 
ful of  corn  on  a  bleak  mountain  top,  which  yet 
yields  a  harvest  that  rustles  like  the  lordly  woods 
of  Lebanon  ;  and  the  Prophet  tells  of  a  worm  Ja- 
cob which  threshes  the  mountains.  Samaritan 
scoffers  laughed  at  the  first  feeble  walls  of  restored 
Jerusalem,  yet  there  came  a  time  when  to  suppress 
the  sedition  of  that  city  strained  the  last  resources 
of  imperial  Rome.  Twelve  men  went  forth  to 
give  the  Gospel  to  the  world,  and  before  the  end 
of  the  first  century,  believers  were  found  all  the 
way  from  the  shores  of  Britain  to  far  Cathay.  In 
the  sixteenth  century  one  man  entered  the  lists 
against  the  anti-christian  corruptions  of  the  time, 
and  Leo  X.  spoke  contemptuously  of  "  Brother 
Martin,"  but  in  the  issue  one  half  of  Europe  was 
emancipated  from  the  papal  yoke,  and  the  Maj 
of  Sin  received  a  fatal  blow.  The  finest  wit  o 
Great  Britain  set  the  polite  world  on  a  broai 
laugh  at  the  "  consecrated  cobblers "  who  com- 
menced the  work  of  East  Indian  missions ;  yet  to- 
day the  whole  Church  of  Christ  honors  that  heroic 
vanguard  of  Hindoo  missionaries,  and  the  friends 
of  the  wit  would  gladly  sponge  out  his  misplaced 
jests.  The  law  of  Providence  is  to  begin  with  a 
day  of  small  things.  A  little  leaven  hid  in  the 
measures  of  meal  at  last  affects  the  entire  mass. 
The  smallest  of  seeds  when  planted  grows  into  a 
tree  upon  whose  branches  the  fowls  of  the  air  may 
lodge.  No  mature  grain  ever  springs  instanta- 
neously from  the  earth.  It  is  "  first  the  blade,  then 
the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear."  The  oak 
which  has  withstood  the  storms  of  a  thousand 
years  was  once  an  acorn.  The  mighty  river  which 
fertilizes  a  continent  began  with  a  tiny  streamlet 
which  even  an  infant's  hand  could  divert.  It  be- 
comes no  one,  least  of  all  a  believer,  to  deride  a 
feeble  beginning.     No  matter  how  small  it  maj 


CHAPTEU  V.  1- 


46 


DC  jot  if  carried  forward  in  faith  and  prayer, 
neither  man  nor  angel  can  tell  whereunto  it  may 
grow. 

4.  The  effusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  an  arbi- 
trary thins.  Whitsunday  stands  in  direct  relation 
with  Good  Friday  and  Easter.  The  lamps  of  the 
candlestick  give  light  because  the  manifold  tubes 
convey  oil  in  a  coiistant  flow  from  the  central  res- 
ervoir. But  how  is  this  reservoir  kept  full  1  By 
living  trees  whose  supply  is  perpetually  renewed. 
These  living  trees  are  the  priesthood  and  kingship 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  By  his  sacrifice  the 
blessed  Lord  procured  the  measureless  grace  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  by  his  enthronement  at  the  P'a- 
ther's  right  hand  He  has  power  to  shed  down  the 
life-giving  influence  in  streams  as  mighty  as  those 
which  made  Pentecost  forever  memorable.  These 
trees  are  living,  ever-living.  The  blood  of  the  one 
great  ransom  is  ever  new  {KaivSs,  recens)  ;  it  does 
not  clot  so  as  to  be  inefficacious ;  it  belongs  to  an 
unchangeable  priesthood  ;  it  endures  to  the  utter- 
most in  point  of  time.  So  the  session  on  high  is 
uninterrupted.  Our  Lord  sat  down  forever  on  the 
right  hand  of  God  (Heb.  x.  12),  and  therefore  al- 
ways holds  his  ascension  gifts  to  be  dispensed  at 
will  for  the  preservation,  the  extension,  and  the 
exaltation  of  his  Church.  The  oil  of  grace  cannot 
fail,  just  because  the  Lord  Jesus  is  an  eternal  priest 
and  an  eternal  king.  Here  is  a  valid  ground  for 
fiiith,  hope,  and  prayer.  There  is  no  machinery  by 
which  the  most  fervid  evangelist  can  yoke  the 
blessed  Spirit  to  his  methods  and  measures.  But 
the  varied  and  repeated  and  emphatic  promises  of 
the  One  Mediator  (John  xiv.  16,  17,  26,  xv.  26, 
xvi.  7-11,  13-15)  encourage  every  toiler  in  the 
vineyard,  however  feeble  or  obscure,  to  look  up  to 
the  priest  upon  his  throne,  with  an  absolute  convic- 
tion that  his  arm  is  not  shortened  that  it  cannot 
save,  nor  Jiis  ear  heavy  that  it  cannot  hear.  If  the 
Saviour  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  had  the  Spirit 
without  measure,  how  much  more  must  He  now, 
in  his  glorious  exaltation  far  above  all  heavens  ! 
The  wonders  of  Pentecost  were  explained  by  the 
Apostle  Peter  (Acts  ii.  33)  as  an  immediate  gift  of 
the  ascended  Saviour,  who  "  having  received  of 
the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Spirit,  hath  shed 
forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear."  The  sup- 
ply of  spiritual  gifts  depends  upon  the  perpetual 
mtercession  within  the  veil ;  and  in  vain  do  we 
look  for  oil  in  the  lamps  if  by  conceit  or  neglect 
we  neglect  the  olive-branches  from  which  alone  the 
■apply  is  maintained. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Calvin  :  The  material  of  the  candlestick  was 
intended  to  set  forth  a  mystery.  It  is  indeed  tru» 
that  gold  is  corruptible  ;  but  as  we  cannot  other 
wise  understand  what  exceeds  the  things  of  the 
world,  the  Lord,  under  the  figure  of  gold  and  silver 
and  precious  stones,  sets  forth  those  things  which 
are  celestial,  and  which  surpass  in  value  the  earth 
and  the  world.  It  was  for  this  purpose  that  God 
commanded  the  candlestick  to  be  made  of  gold,  not 
that  He  needed  earthly  wealth  or  riches,  or  was 
pleased  with  them  as  men  are. 

Wordsworth  :  Observe  the  candlestick  is 
golden  and  the  oil  is  called  gold ;  it  is  like  liquid 
gold.  The  Church  must  be  pure  and  holy ;  and 
what  she  teaches  and  ministers  to  the  people  must 
be  pure  and  holy  also  ;  not  adulterated  with  the 
admixture  of  any  novel  doctrines,  such  as  those 
which  have  been  added  by  some  to  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,  and  imposed  as  necessary 
to  salvation. 

C.  Bradley  :  Observe,  these  Scriptures  do  not 
say  that  there  are  no  enemies,  no  mountains,  no 
difficulties.  They  do  not  make  the  salvation  of  the 
Church  that  light  thing  which  some  of  us  make  it. 
On  the  contrary,  they  suppose  it  to  he  in  itself  a 
work  of  the  utmost  difficulty.  But  then,  Christ, 
they  tell  us,  is  more  than  equal  to  it ;  He  is  mighty 
to  save ;  He  can  prepare  his  people  for  heaven  and 
carrv  them  there,  in  spite  of  everything. 

John  Foster  :  When  good  men  despise  the  day 
of  small  things,  it  is  because  the  grand  essential  oi 
religion,  Faith,  is  wanting.  They  lack  faith  in  the 
unerring  wisdom  of  the  Divine  scheme  and  deter- 
minations ;  faith  in  the  goodness  of  God,  the  ab- 
solute certainty  that  infinite  wisdom  and  power 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  good  ;  faith  in  the  prom- 
ise of  God,  that  his  servants  shall  in  the  succession 
of  their  generations  see  his  cause  advance  from  the 
small  to  the  great,  though  this  be  not  granted  to 
any  one  separately. 

Patson  :  We  ought  not  to  despise  the  day  of 
small  things,  because,  (1 )  such  conduct  tends  to  pre- 
vent its  becoming  a  day  of  great  things.  (2)  An- 
gels do  not  despise,  etc.,  but  rejoice  over  even  one 
repenting  sinner.  (3)  Our  Saviour  does  not  break 
the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench,  etc.  (4)  God  dpes 
not  despise,  etc.,  but  noticed  even  some  good  thing 
found  in  the  son  of  Jeroboam.  (5)  The  day  oi 
small  things  is  the  commencement  of  great  things. 
Gill  :  The  lamp  of  a  profession  without  the 
1  oil  of  grace  is  a  dark  and  useless  thing. 


VISION  VI.    THE  FLYING  ROLL. 
Chapter  V.    1-4. 


A.    A  large  Roll  flying  over  the  Land  (vers.  1,  2).    B.  It  contains  and  executes  a 

destructive  Curse  (vers.  3,  4). 

I,  2  And  1  lifted  up  my  eyes  again,^  and  saw,  and  behold  a  flying  roll.  And  he  said 
to  me,  What  seest  thou  ?  "  And  I  said,  I  see  a  flying  roll ;  its  length  twenty  cubits 

3  and  its  breadth  ten  cubits.  And  he  said  to  me.  This  is  the  curse  that  goeth  forth 
over  the  face  of  the  whole  land;  for  every  one  that  stealeth  shall  be  cut  off""  on  this 


40 


ZECHARIAH. 


side  according  to  it,  and  every  one  that  sweareth  shall  be  cut  off  on  that  side,  accord 
ing  to  it.  I  have  brought  ^  it  forth,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  it  shall  enter  into 
the  house  of  the  thief  and  into  the  house  of  him  that  sweareth  by  my  name  to  a 
falsehood,  and  it  shall  lodge  *  in  the  midst  of  his  house  and  consume  it,  both  its  wood 
and  its  stones. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  1.  —  Again.    For  this  meaning  of  Ill\tt?,  cf.  2  Kings  i.  11. 

2  Ver.  3.  —  npS   «=  emptied,  exhausted,  here  manifestly  =  destroyed. 
8  Ver.   4.  —  n'^riS^'in  cannot  be  rendered,  "  I  will  bring  it  forth. 

*  Ver.  4.—  npV    irregular  for  H^V.    It  means,  to  pass  the  night,  h.  abide. 


EXEQETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

The  series  of  visions  here  takes  a  sharp  turn. 
All  that  preceded  were  of  a  consolatory  character, 
setting  forth  the  overthrow  of  Zion's  foes,  the  for- 
giveness of  the  people,  their  illumination  and  ex- 
altation by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  consequently 
the  sure  and  speedy  completion  of  the  Temple. 
Now,  however,  the' prophet  is  directed  to  show 
his  countrymen  that  Jehovah  is  a  holy  God,  and 
wickedness  cannot  dwell  with  Him.  There  is  no 
toleration  for  sinners  while  they  continue  such.  As 
many  as  still  remain  impenitent,  or  reject  God's 
provision  of  mercy,  shall  be  visited  with  an  exter- 
minating judgment,  or  experience  a  captive  exile 
far  longer  and  more  dreary  even  than  that  which 
their  fiithers  had  suffered  in  Babylon.  This  is  set 
forth  vividly  and  plainly  in  the  two  visions  which 
follow,  which,  although  entirely  distinct  in  form 
and  manifestation,  yet  are  closely  allied  in  subject 
and  bearing. 

The  former  of  the  two  borrows  the  groundwork 
of  its  striking  symbolism  from  the  Mosaic  Law 
("  curse,"  "  roll ''),  and  sets  forth  with  fearful  en- 
ergy the  retributive  consequences  of  sin. 

(a.)  The Fli/ing Roll  {\ers.\, 2).  Ver.  1.  Ilifted 
up  .  .  .  again.  This  implies  an  interval,  longer 
or  shorter,  since  the  last  vision.  What  he  saw  is 
described  fully  in  the  next  verse. 

Ver.  2.  And  he  said.  That  is,  the  interpreting 
angel  said,  as  is  obvious  from  what  precedes. 
"  Roll  "  ^  book-scroll  or  parchment;  of  course 
one  so  large  as  this  must  have  been  composed  of 
many  skins  fastened  together.  It  is  seen  flying 
oyer  the  earth  unrolled,  so  that  its  size  could  be 
discerned.  Its  dimensions  are  ten  yards  long  by 
five  broad.  Some  (Kohler,  Henderson,  et  al.)  cori- 
sider  these  measurements  as  intended  only  to  state 
that  it  was  of  considerable  size.  But  as  that  could 
be  so  easily  expressed  in  a  simpler  way,  it  is  better 
to  regard  the  dimensions  as  significant.  But  of 
what  I  Hengstenberg,  Hoffman,  Umbreit,  follow- 
ing Kim?hi,  assume  a  reference  to  the  porch  of  the 


Temple  which  was  of  the  same  size  (1  Kings  vi.  3), 
atid  infer  that  the  intention  was  to  represent  the 
judgment  as  "  a  consequence  of  the  theocracy,"  to 
which,  however,  it  is  justly  objected  that  the  tem- 
ple-porch in  itself  had  no  symbolic  significance, 
nor  was  it  a  meeting-place  for  Israel.  Keil  and 
Kliel'oth  say  that  the  dimensions  were  taken  from 
those  of  the  holy  place  of  the  tabernacle  (twenty 
cubits  by  ten),  and  explain,  "  the  measure  by  which 
this  curse  upon  sinners  will  be  meted  out  will  be  the 
measure  of  the  holy  place,"  i.  e.,  it  will  act  so  as 
to  cut  them  off  from  the  congregation  of  the  Lord 
which  appeared  before  God  in  the  holy  place.  I 
should  prefer  to  take  the  dimensions  as  a  sugges- 
tion of  the  scope  of  the  impending  judgment, 
namely,  the  covenant  people. 

(6. )  'Meaning  of  the  Roll  ( vers.  3, 4).  Ver.  3.  This 
is  the  curse.  Henderson  compares  our  Lord's 
words,  "This  is  (represents)  my  body."  "The 
whole  land,"  i.  e.,  of  Israel,  as  the  analogy  of  the 
preceding  and  following  visions  shows.  The  curse 
hovers  over  the  entire  region,  ready  to  fall  upon  its 
destined  objects.  These  are  the  thief  and  the 
false  swearer,  who  are  taken  as  examples,  one 
from  each  table  of  the  law ;  and  therefore  stand 
for  all  sinners-  Such  are  to  be  cut  oflF=  driven 
out  of  the  fellowship  of  God's  people,  with  the 
usual  implication,  in  that  phrase,  of  destruction. 
On  this  side,  on  that  side,  refer  to  the  two  sides 
of  the  roll  (Ex.  xxxii.  15),  on  one  of  which  was 
the  curse  against  one  class  of  sinners,  and  on  the 
other  that  against  the  other  class.  Then  accord- 
ing to  it  {i.  e.,  according  to  its  terms)  refers  re- 
spectively to  these  two  sides. 

Ver.  4.  I  have  brought.  To  render  this  in  the 
future,  as  E.  V.,  is  a  needless  departure  from  the 
original.  God  has  caused  it  to  come  forth,  as  the 
prophet  sees.  He  proceeds  now  to 'tell  him  what 
it  will  do.  It  will  enter  the  house  of  the  sinner, 
and  come  to  stay.  Lodge,  literally,  pass  the  night, 
and  hence  dwell  permanently.  Nor  will  it  remain 
idle,  but  destroy  until  not  only  the  contents  bu; 
even  the  most  durable  parts  of  the  ho  ise  were  con- 
sumed.   Cf.  1  Kings  xviii.  38. 


CHAPTER   V.  5-11 


47 


VISION  VII.     THE  WOMAN  IN  THE  EPHAH. 

Chapter  V.  5-11. 

A..  The  Prophet  sees  an  Ephah  going  forth  (vers.  5,  6).  B.  ^  Woman  thrust  down  in 
it  and  sh'xt  in  (vers.  7,  8).     C.    The  Ephah  carried  away  to  Shinar  (vers.  9-1] ). 

5  And  the  angel  that  talked  with  me  came  forth,  and  said  to  me,  Lift  up  thine 

6  eyes,  I  pray,  and  see  what  is  this  that  goeth  forth.     And  I  said,  What  is  it  ?     And 
he  said.  This  is  the  ephah  that  goeth  forth.     And  he  said.  This  is  their  aim  ^  in 

7  all  the  land.     And  behold,  a  round  piece  '^  of  lead  was  lifted  up,  and  this  is  a 
•8  woman  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  ephah.     And  he  said,  This  is  wickedness ;  and 

he  cast  her  into  the  midst  of  the  ephah,  and  cast  the  weight*  of  lead  into  its  mouth. 

9  And  I  lifted  up  my  eyes,  and  saw,  and  behold,  two  women  came  forth  and  the  wind 

was  in  their  wings,  and  they  had  wings  like  a  stork's  wings  ;  and  they  lifted  ^  up 

10  the  ephah  between  earth  and  heaven.     And  I  said  to  the  angel  that  talked  with 

11  me.  Whither  are  these  taking  the  ephah  ?  And  he  said  to  me,  To  build  for  her^  a 
house  in  the  land  of  Shinar  ;  and  it  shall  be  established^  and  settled  there  upon  its 
own  base. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  6-  —  DD''3?,  lit-,  eye,  here  that  to  which  the  eye  is  directed  =  aim.  The  Glenevan  version  pves  sight.  Sm 
Bxeg.  and  Crit. 

2  Ver.  7.  —  "133.  Margin  ot  E.  V.  gives  weighty  piece,  but  the  word  denotes  ihape  rather  than  size  or  weight.  II 
.s  another  word  that  is  rendered  weight  in  the  next  verse. 

5  Ver.  7.  —  innK.  This  seems  to  be  one  of  the  cases  in  which  the  first  numeral  is  employed  as  an  indefinite  arti- 
cle, as  Ex.  xxix.  3. 

4  Ver.  8.  —  "75??  =  stone,  here  \ead-wtight,  just  as  in  iv.  10  it  is  used  with  7"'^2n  to  mean  tin-weight  or  plum- 
bet. 

6  Ver.  9.  —  In  H^^D   the  quiescent  S  is  dropped  (Green,  H.  G.,  §  164,  2). 

6  Ver.  11.  —  The  grammatical  subject  of  the  sufflx  in  n^  is  of  course  the  ephah,  but  logically  it  must  refer  to  th* 
woman  it  contains,  as  a  house  is  not  built  for  a  measure.  The  marginal  Masoretic  note  calls  for  a  Raphe  to  mark  the 
absence  of  a  dagesh  in  the  n,  but  it  is  not  found  in  the  text. 

1  Ver.  11.  —  ^3^n  according  to  its  gender  is  to  be  construed  with  rn''3,  and  nrT^Sn  with  HD'^S  or  tb« 
woman  inclosed  in  it. 


EXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

a.  The  Ephah  (vers.  5,  6).  Ver.  5.  And  .  .  . 
goeth  forth.  This  shows  that  we  have  a  new 
vision  here,  and  not  a  continuation  of  the  preced- 
ing one  (Umhreit,  Neumann,  Keil).  The  two  are 
closely  allied,  indeed,  in  tone  and  character,  still 
they  are  distinct  in  form  and  as  such  were  repre- 
sented to  the  Prophet. 

Ver.  6.  What  is  it  P  The  Prophet  sees  some 
vague  form  risinu:,  as  it  were,  out  of  mist,  but  is 
not  able  to  distinguish  what  it  is.  To  his  ques- 
tion he  receives  the  reply  that  this  is  the  ephah, 
I.  e.,  the  one  which  is  to  constitute  the  main  feat- 
ure of  the  vision.  The  ephah  was  one  of  the 
most  familiar  of  dry  measures  among  the  He- 
brews. Its  capacity  cannot  now  be  exactly  deter- 
mined ;  according  to  Josephus  it  contained  some- 
thing more  than  eight  gallons  and  a  half;  accord- 
mg  to  the  Rabbinists,  a  little  less  than  four  gal- 
lons and  a  half.  Nothing  in  the  interpretation 
depends  upon  its  exact  measurement.     The  latter 

part  of  the  verse  is   difficult.     23'^17   is  rendered 


by  the  LXX.,  Peshito,  and  Arabic,  as  if  it  were 
pointed  C^"^?  (their  sin),  and  these  have  been 
followed  by  Hitzig,  Burger,  and  Fiirst  (in  Lex.). 
But  for  such  a  reading  there  is  only  one  MS.  au- 
thority, and  besides,  as  Pressel  says,  in  that  case 
the  ephah  would  be  called  unrighteousness  in  ver. 
6,  and  the  woman  in  it  would  receive  that  name  in 
vsr,  8.  We  must,  therefore,  accept  the  traditional 
pointing,  and  render  their  eye,  but  in  what  sense' 
Many  from  Luther  down  say  that  it  means  appear- 
ance, or  as  in  E.  V.  "  resemblance,"  i.  e.,  the  pec 
pie  are  like  the  sin-containing  ephah  (Rosenmullei 
Maurer,  Bunsen,  Keil).  But  this  is  an  unusua 
sense  of  the  word,  and  besides  gives  a  frigid  senti- 
ment. It  is  better  to  take  the  term  as  designating 
the  object  to  which  men's  eyes  were  directed  (Um- 
breit,  Hengstenberg,  Kohler,  Pressel).  The  dwell- 
ers in  all  the  land  were  looking  to  the  ephah  as  a 
measure  to  be  filled  with  sin.  Their  success  and 
its  unhappy  results  are  set  forth  in  what  follows. 
/).  Its  Contents  (vers.  7,  8).  —  Ver.  7.  A  round 
piece  of  lead.  The  symbol  is  still  further  devel- 
oped, and  the  Prophet  sees  now  a  circular  mass  of 


i8 


/1-:CHAK1AH. 


mcttt]  lifted  ujj  ever  tliu  e|ih;ili.  "^5?  is  often  ren- 
dered talent  elsewliere  in  eases  where  its  meaning 
as  such  is  determined  bv  ;i  tbllowiiii^  noun,  hut 
here  it  is  better  to  adhere  to  tlie  literal  sense. 
This  is.  Now  for  the  tirst  time  it  appears  that 
the  ephah  has  an  oeeuj)ant.  Heiiee  the  form  of 
the  exjjression  "  'J'his  is,"  equivalent  to,  See,  there 
is  a  woman,  ete.  nnS  is  probably  used  merely 
for  the  indefinite  article  (1  Kings  xx.  13)  ;  but  if  it 
is  to  be  )iressed  as  =  one  woman,  it  will  then  indi- 
cate that  the  sinners,  although  many  in  number, 
are  considered  as  one  living  personality. 

Ver.  8.  This  is  wickedness.  On  the  meaning 
attached  to  this  phrase  turns  the  entire  bearing  of 
the  vision.  Many  (Calvin,  Kohler,  Pressel,  Baum- 
garten,  Henderson),  take  it  as  =  wickedness  in  it- 
self, abstracted  from  its  perpetrators,  and  this,  they 
Bay,  is  confined,  sealed  up,  and  transported  far  off", 
so  as  to  leave  the  land  where  it  once  dwelt  pure ; 
and  thus  the  vision  is  one  of  promise.  But  this 
view  is  opposed  by  the  tenor  of  the  preceding  vision 
which  all  admit  to  be  closely  allied  to  this  one,  as 
well  as  by  its  own  intrinsic  improbability,  although 
Hengstenberg  speaks  far  too  sti-ongly  when  he  says 
"It  is  only  concrete  sin  that  admits  of  being  car- 
ried away.  The  transportation  of  sin  apart  from 
sinful  individuals,  is  nonsense."  How  would  that 
learned  man  have  reconciled  with  his  statement 
such  language  as  that  of  the  Psalmist  (ciii.  12), 
"  Far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west,  so  far  hath  he 
removed  our  transgressions  from  us  ! "  But  on 
this  hypothesis  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  any 
reason  why  Shinar  rather  than  any  other  place 
should  be  mentioned  as  the  place  of  deportation 
(ver.  11).  It  is  better  therefore  to  take  the  other 
view  (Marck.,  Hengstenberg,  Keil),  which  regards 
the  woman  as  a  personification  of  the  ungodly 
Jewish  nation.  A  somewhat  similar  usage  is 
found  in  2  Chron.  xxiv.  7,  where  (in  Hebrew) 
Athaliah  is  called  "  the  wickedness."  Consequent- 
ly, the  subsequent  acts  q(  the  angel,  in  casting  the 
woman  down  into  the  measure  and  then  closing 
the  same  with  the  heavy  solid  lid,  simply  indicate 
the  full  provision  made  for  the  due  punishment  of 
the  sinners  thus  carefully  secured. 

c.  Its  Removal  (vers.  9-11). — Ver.  9.  Two 
women  came  forth,  etc.  The  removal  of  the 
ephah  with  its  contents  is  described.  This  is  done 
by  two  women,  —  women  because  it  was  a  woman 
they  were  carrying  away,  and  two,  because  the  bur- 
den was  too  heavy  for  one  to  bear.  They  are  fur- 
nished with  wings,  because  the  movement  is  to  be 
through  the  air.  The  wings  are  specified  as  being 
those  of  a  stork,  not  because  the  stork  is  a  bird  of 
passage  (Umbreit,  Baumgarten,  etc.),  for  the  move- 
ment here  is  not  periodical ;  nor  liecause  it  flies 
fast  (Maurer),  for  other  birds  fly  f^ister ;  nor  be- 
cause it  was  an  unclean  bird  (Kohler)  ;  nor  be- 
L-ause  it  was  a  pia  avis  (Neumann),  which  does  not 
suit  the  object ;  but  simply  because  it  had  broad 
pinions,  and  such  were  required  to  sustain  so  heavy 
a  mass  as  the  ephah  with  its  leaden  lid.  The  wind 
was  in  these  wings  to  increase  their  velocity.  The 
(vonien  have  been  supposed  to  represent  Israel  and 
Judah,  or  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  or  the  two  last 
kings  of  Judah,  or  the  two  captivities,  or  Titus 
und  Hadrian  ;  but  there  is  no  need  of  strictly  de- 
fining them,  since  they  belong  to  the  mere  drapery 
[)f  the  symbol,  and  stand  only  as  representatives 
'j(  the  powers  employed  by  God  to  carry  away  the 
sinners  of  his  people. 

Ver.  11.  To  build  .  .  .  Shinar.  In  rei)ly  to 
the  Prouhet's  question  he  is  told  that  the  object  of 


the  two  women  is  to  prepare  a  permanent  habitiv- 
tion  for  her,  i.  e.,  the  woman  in  the  ephah.  Shinat 
is  an  old  historic  name  (Gen.  x.  10),  afterwards  ap. 
plied  poetically  to  Babylon  (Is.  xi.  11  ;  Dan.  i.  2). 
Its  occurrence  here  led  Kosenrniiller  to  suppose 
that  the  entire  vision  referred  to  the  past,  and  not 
to  the  future,  which  is  simply  impossible.  There 
is  no  difficulty  in  explaining  it  by  a  reference  to 
the  usage  of  the  Prophets,  to  represent  future 
events  by  images  drawn  from  the  past,  and  at  the 
same  time  transfer  to  the  former  the  names  which 
belong  to  the  latter.  This  verse  then  simply  fore- 
tells the  punishment  of  wickedness  by  another  ex- 
ile, —  like  that  to  Babylon,  and  therefore  called  by 
its  name,  but  far  more  prolonged.  This  latter  feat- 
ure is  expressed  by  the  building  of  the  house,  but 
intensified  by  the  final  clause  —  "  estabhshed  and 
settled  on  its  own  base."  According  to  Keil 
Shinar  is  not  here  a  geographical  epithet,  but 
taken  as  an  ideal  designation  of  the  sphere  of  un- 
godliness, and  the  symbol  accordingly  expresses 
the  truth  that  the  wicked  will  be  removed  out  of 
the  congregation  of  the  Lord  and  permanently  set 
tied  within  the  ungodly  kingdom  of  this  world. 
This  distinction  and  separation  will  run  on  through 
the  ages,  and  at  last  be  completed  in  the  general 
judgment.  Henderson  maintains  that  the  woman 
in  the  ephah  represented  idolatry  which  was  carried 
away  by  the  two  women,  i.  e.,  Assyria  and  Baby- 
lonia, to  Chaldaea,  where  it  was  to  commingle  with 
its  native  elements  and  never  be  reimported  into 
Canaan  ;  in  support  of  which  he  cites  the  fact  that 
for  two  thousand  years  the  Jews  have  never  once 
lapsed  into  idolatry.  But  idolatry  did  not  at  this 
time  exist  in  Judea,  and  therefore  could  not  be  re- 
moved out  of  it ;  and  if  it  was  taken  to  Babylon, 
it  certainly  did  not  remain  there,  for  the  Moham- 
medan occupants  of  that  region  are  not  idolaters. 
It  agrees  better  with  the  original  force  of  the  word, 
with  the  connection,  and  with  the  preceding  vision, 
to  take  the  term  as  denoting  the  entire  wickedness 
of  the  people  of  all  kinds,  or  rather  the  people  as 
such  embodied  wickedness.  As  thus  understood, 
the  vision  was  fulfilled  centuries  afterward,  when 
the  Jews  as  a  whole,  having  rejected  with  scorn 
their  Messiah,  were  given  over  to  the  stroke  of 
vengeance.  After  a  most  desperate  struggle,  they 
were  crushed  by  the  Roman  Emperors,  and  scat- 
tered to  the  four  winds  of  heaven.  And  so  they 
remain,  shut  up  in  the  ephah,  the  tremendous 
weight  of  their  own  obstinacy  forbidding  the  pros- 
pect of  release.  The  corresponding  passage  to 
tills  one  in  the  second  part  is  couched  in  different 
terms  (xi.  15,  16).  After  the  rejection  of  the  good 
shepherd  and  the  breaking  of  his  staves  of  office, 
the  wretched  flock  is  given  over  to  a  foolish  or 
wicked  shepherd  who  does  what  he  ought  not  to 
do,  and  fails  to  do  what  he  ought,  and  so  the  poor 
sheep  suffer  in  every  way.  But  wholly  different 
as  the  imagery  is  in  the  two  passages,  there  is  :i 
remarkable  sameness  in  the  underlying  idea. 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1 .  In  the  two  preceding  chapters  the  constituent 
elements  of  the  Gospel  were  presented  ;  here  we 
are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  Law.  The  white 
robes  of  innocence  and  the  golden  oil  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  disappear,  and  in  their  place  comes  a  fear- 
ful curse  overshadowing  the  land  and  threatening 
an  irrecoverable  overthrow.  There  is  no  contra- 
diction, no  inconsistency  in  this.  The  one  mes- 
sage was  as  true  and  as   pertinent  as  the  other 


CHAPTER  VI.  1-8. 


49 


Zechariah's  dcsit^n  was  not  simply  to  iirg-e  on  the 
rebuilding  of  the  Temple  at  all  costs  and  hazards, 
bat  to  educate  the  national  conscience,  to  keep 
alive  the  memory  of  sin,  and  lay  deep  the  founda- 
tions of  faith  and  repentance.  When  this  was  ac- 
complished, all  outward  works  would  proceed  of 
themselves.  And  ihere  was  at  least  a  part  of  the 
people,  who  needed  to  be  stimulated  by  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  sterner  side  of  the  divine  charac- 
ter. There  was  a  golden  future  in  store  for  Israel, 
but  not  absolutely,  not  for  all  simply  by  virtue  of 
their  national  origin.  The  day  of  the  Lord  was 
darkness  as  well  as  light  (Amos  v.  18),  and  sin- 
ners in  Zion  would  rind  the  messenger  of  the  Lord 
like  refiner's  fire  and  fuller's  soap  (Mai.  iii.  1,  2). 

Our  Lord  indicated  this  very  plainly  throughout 
his  personal  ministry.  The  remarkable  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  (Matt,  v-vii.)  begins  with  a  sooth- 
ing strain  of  beatitudes  pronounced  upon  the  low- 
ly, and  meek,  and  sorrowful,  etc.,  but  very  soon 
corrects  any  false  impressions  as  to  the  object  of 
the  Messiah  by  setting  forth  the  perpetuity  of  the 
law  and  his  purpose  to  confirm  and  establish  rather 
than  abrogate  its  authority.  While,  therefore,  he 
sweeps  away  the  wretched  evasions  and  glosses 
accumulated  by  men's  perverse  ingenuity,  he  re- 
affirms all  its  particulars  as  the  unchangeable  stat- 
ute of  his  kingdom,  —  both  as  regards  precept  and 
penalty.  His  ends  are  gained,  and  his  grace  is 
manifested,  not  by  erasing  the  sanctions  of  Law, 
but  by  meeting  and  discharging  them.  He  soothes 
conscience  not  by  enervating  or  deluding  it,  but 
by  satisfying  its  anxious  cravings.  The  mawkish 
sentimentalism  which  denies  hell,  and  refuses  to 
hear  of  endless  retributions,  finds  no  precedent  in 
his  words  or  course. 

2.  But  what  was  needful  for  Israel  after  the  ex- 
ile is  equally  needful  in  all  ages  of  the  Church. 
The  moral  law  requires  to  be  continually  set  forth 
in  its  sanction  as  well  as  in  its  precept,  and  it  is 
an  emasculated  theology  which  dispenses  with 
either.  The  Gospel  loses  its  meaning  if  there  be 
no  such  thing  as  Rectoral  Justice.  Calvary  pre- 
supposes Sinai,  just  as  ransom  presupposes  bond- 
age. What  need  is  there  of  forgiveness,  if  there 
is  nothing  to  forgive  1  Hence  the  visions  of  Satan 
overthrown  and  of  the  luminous  golden  candela- 
brum have  for  their  background  this  wide-spread 
roll  of  curses.  God  will  visit  for  sin,  for  all  sin, 
whether  committed  against  himself  directly  or 
against  his  creatures.  The  two  tables  of  the  law 
stand  on  the  same  basis,  and  no  man  dare  pick 
and  choose  to  which  he  will  render  obedience. 
The  anathemas  of  Scripture  are  not  a  mere  brutum 
fulmen,  but  a  solid  and  terrible  reality.  The  light- 
ning of  heaven  is  not  more  certain  and  irresistible. 
Where  the  curse  once  enters,  it  takes  up  its  abode 


and  consumes  all.     The  standing  historical  illus 

tration  of  this  truth  is  seen  in  that  gloomy  and 
death-like  sea  which  is  all  that  now  remaijs  i)f  a 
region  once  bright  with  verdant  plains  and  full  of 
populous  cities. 

3.  The  strokes  of  punitive  wrath  do  not  fall 
ca])riciously  or  at  random.  There  is  ample  rea- 
son in  every  case,  so  that  one  may  always  say^ 
This  [the  ephali]  is  their  object  in  all  the  land. 
Men  go  on  ceaselessly  adding  sin  to  sin,  and  be- 
cause judgment  is  not  suddenly  executed,  think 
that  there  is  impunity  ;  whereas  they  are  only  fill 
ing  the  measure.  God  waits.  There  is  an  ap 
pointed  time  with  Him,  and  He  will  not  anticipate. 
He  announced  a  general  principle  when  he  told 
Abraham  that  his  seed  could  not  take  possession 
of  the  land  of  promise,  "  for  the  iniquity  of  the 
Amorites  was  not  yet  full."  The  wicked  are  treas- 
uring up  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath.  When 
the  end  comes,  the  symbolism  of  Zechariah  is  real- 
ized. Sinners  are  shut  up  with  their  sins  in  the 
measure,  the  weight  of  a  talent  shuts  down  the  lid, 
and  then  they  are  carried  where  the  retribution  be- 
gins and  does  not  end.  Just  like  that  deportation 
to  the  figurative  Shinar.  Its  solitary  example 
among  the  nations  testifies  of  a  permanent  retri- 
bution. 

Tribes  of  the  wandering  foot  and  weary  breast, 
How  shall  ye  flee  away  and  be  at  rest  ? 
The  wild  dove  hath  her  nest,  the  fox  his  cave, 
Mankind  their  country,  —  Israel  but  the  graTe. 


HOMILBTICAL    AND   PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  It  is  needful  to  tell  the  love  of  God,  to 
unfold  his  precious  promises,  and  to  utter  words  ol 
cheer  and  encouragement.  But  it  is  also  needful 
to  declare  the  other  aspect  of  God's  character. 
There  is  a  constant  tendency  in  the  human  heart 
to  abuse  the  goodness  of  God  to  an  encouragement 
of  sin.  Hence  ministers  of  the  Gospel  must  de 
clare  this  portion  of  God's  counsel  as  well  as  the 

other The  finally  impenitent  shall  be  driven 

from  God  into  gloomy  exile,  and  left  to  hin^self, 
"  to  rest  on  his  own  base,"  to  be  subject  to  >Jie 
thrall  of  his  own  lawless  lusts  that  he  has  so  long 
pampered  into  strength,  and  to  reap  as  he  has 
sowed  through  a  long  and  limitless  banishment. 

"Wordsworth  :  None  who  enter  the  porch  of 
the  visible  Church  may  flatter  themselves  that  they 
can  escape  God's  wrath  and  malediction,  if  they 
commit  any  of  the  sins  condemned  by  the  compre 
hensive  commination  of  this  Flying  Roll,  which 
may  be  compared  to  a  net  coextensive  with  the 
world  and  drawn  throughout  tbe  whole  from  side 
to  side. 


VISION  Vni.     THE  FOUR  CHARIOTS. 
Chapter  VI.    1-8. 


A.   Four  Chariots  drawn  by  Horses  of  different  Colors  (vers.  1-4).     B.   Explcenalum 

of  their  Meaning  (vers.  5-8). 

1  And  I  lifted  up  my  eyes  again/  and  saw,  and  behold,  four  charic  ts  came  from  be- 

2  tween  the  two  mountains,  and  the  mountains  were  mountains  of  brass.     In  the  first 


30 


ZECHARIAH. 


3  chariot  were  red  horses,  and  in  the  second  chariot  black  horses,  And  in  the  third 

4  chariot  white  hoi'ses,  and  in  the  fourth  chariot  speckled  bay  ^  horses.     And  I  an 

5  swered  and  said  to  the  angel  that  talked  with  me,  What  are  these,  my  lord  ?  And 
the  angel  answered  and  said  to  me,  These  are  the  four  winds  ^  of  the  heavens,  coming 

B  forth  from  standing  before  the  Lord  of  all  the  earth.  That  in  which  are  the  black 
horses  goes  *  forth  into  tlie  land  of  the  north,  and  the  wliite  go  behind  them,  and  the 

7  speckled  go  forth  to  the  land  of  the  south.  And  the  bay  went  forth,  and  desired  to 
go  —  to  pass  to  and  fro  ^  through  the  earth  ;  and  he  said.  Go,  pass  to  and  fro  through 

8  the  earth ;  and  they  went  through  the  earth.  And  he  called  me  and  spake  to  me, 
saying.  Behold,  these  that  go  forth  into  the  land  of  the  north  have  caused  mj 
Spirit  to  rest  ^  upon  the  land  of  the  north. 

TEXTUAL  AND    GRAMMATICAl.. 
Ver.  1.  —  2Ci?ST  =  again.    Cf.  ch.  v.  1. 

••.     T  T 

8  Ver.  3.  —  "  Speckled  bay,"'  that  is,  speckled  upon  a  bay  ground.  The  word  here  rendered  speckled  is  not  the  sun* 
M  the  one  so  rendered  in  the  E.  V.  of  ch.  i.  8.    Noyes  translates  in  this  place,  spotted-red. 

S  Ver.  5.  —  nin-n.  The  margin  of  E.  V.,  winds,  is  better  than  the  lext,  spirits.  Cf.  Jer.  ilii.  36.  I  can  find  n« 
Instance  in  which  the  plural  is  used  to  denote  angelic  beings.    Certainly  Ps.  cir.  4  is  not  one. 

4  Ver.  6.  —  The  first  clause  contains  a  singular  anacoluthon,  D"^S^^,  referring  by  its  number  to  the  horses,  insteM 

of  the  implied  nil3~1tt,  to  which  it  grammatically  belongs. 

5  Ver.  7.  —  "  Pass  to  and  fro,"  t .  e.,  in  every  direction. 

6  Ver.  8.  — Noyes  renders  "^H-^T  -irT^^n,  execute  mywrath,  which  is  an  excellent  interpretation,  but  hardly  a  trans. 
lation.  The  E.  V.  quieted  cannot  be  sustained  by  usage,  and  is  at  best  ambiguous,  although  it  is  copied  in  Dr.  Van 
Dyck's  New  Arabic  Tersion.    The  invariable  use  of  the  hiphil  verb  requires  the  rendering  given  in  the  text. 


SXEOETICAIi  AND  CRITICAL. 

This  vision  completes  the  cycle  of  the  series  by 
returning  to  the  point  of  departure-  using  imagery 
much  like  that  of  the  first  vision,  and  indicating 
the  complete  fulfillment  of  what  had  there  been 
pledged.  Here  it  is  not  horses  and  riders  who 
serve  only  as  exploring  scouts,  but  chariots  of  war 
who  actually  execute  what  they  are  commanded. 
They  go  forth  not  from  a  grove  of  myrtles  in  an 
open  bottom,  but  from  between  lofty  brazen  moun- 
tains, an  adequate  symbol  of  the  strength  and  per- 
manence of  the  divinely  guarded  theocracy.  They 
act  in  all  directions,  but  especially  in  those  regions 
whence  in  the  past  the  most  formidable  enemies  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  proceeded.  They  put  in  ex- 
ercise the  various  destructive  agencies  indicated  by 
the  colors  of  the  horses,  —  war,  pestilence,  mourn- 
ing, famine, — until  the  Spirit  of  God  is  satisfied 
with  the  overthrow.  But  the  destruction  of  the 
Lord's  enemies  is  the  triumph  of  his  friends,  and 
in  this  view  the  eighth  vision  appropriately  termi- 
nates the  first  series  of  revelations  granted  to  Zech- 
ariah,  with  a  cheering  prospect,  of  which  a  I'uUer 
development  is  given  in  the  closing  chapters  of  the 
book. 

a.  Tin  Symbol  of  the  Four  CItariols  (vers.  1-4). 
Ver.  1.  Four  chariots.  .  .  .  mountains.  The 
prophet  in  the  usual  way  indicates  that  another 
vision  is  disclosed  to  him.  The  four  chariots  which 
he  sees  can  scarcely  be  other  than  war  chariots,  and 
are  therefore  a  symbol  of  authority  and  judgment. 
The  article  prefixed  to  two  mountains  does  not 
necessarily  refer  to  them  as  already  known  (s» 
Hengstenberg,  who  supposes  a  reference  to  Ps. 
cxxv.  2,  which  is  certainly  far-ietched),  but  simply 
iefines  them  as  forming  the  back-ground  of  the 
scene  presented  to  the  prophet.  Their  ideal  char- 
acter is  confirmed  by  the  statement  that  they  are 
"  of  brass,'    a   manifest   symbol   of  impregnable 


strength.  There  is  no  need,  therefore,  of  referring 
to  Zion  and  Moriah  (Maurer,  Umbreit,  etc.),  or  to 
Zion  and  the  Mount  of  Olives  (Keil,  Moore),  al- 
though the  latter  may  have  suggested  the  symbol 
A  valley  guarded  by  two  brazen  hills  is  not  an  un- 
worthy image  of  the  resistless  might  of  Him  who 
from  such  a  place  sends  forth  the  exectitioners  of 
his  will.  The  number  of  the  chariots,  according 
to  the  analogies  of  Ezekiel,  Daniel,  and  Revelation, 
indicates,  like  the  four  points  of  the  compass,  uni- 
versality, a  judgment  that  goes  in  every  direction. 
Vers.  2,  3.  In  the  first  chariot  ....  bay 
horses.  The  number  of  the  horses  is  not  men- 
tioned, although  the  rabbins  say  there  wei-e  four 
to  each  chariot.  The  colors  are  specified,  and 
must  be  significant.  The  usual  interpretation 
makes  red  denote  war  and  bloodshed,  black,  sorrow 
and  death,  white,  victory.  The  fourth  color,  spec- 
kled, commonly  derived  from  a  root  ^  hail,  and 
hence  rendered,  "  having  hail-like  spots,"  is  ex- 
plained by  Hengstenberg  as  denoting  judgments 
falling  like  hail  (Rev.  viii.  7,  xvi.  21).  but  l)y  Keil 
as  indicating  famine  and  pestilence,  which  is  better 
than  to  regard  it  with  Henderson,  as  indicating  a 
mixed  dispensation  of  joy  and  sorrow,  or  with  T. 
V.  Moore  as  combining  all  the  others.  A  more 
difficult  question  arises  concerning  the  next  word, 

D'^'^pS.  It  is  strange  to  find  an  epithet  of  quality 
in  immediate  connection  with  a  series  referring  to 
color,  yet  this  must  be  admitted  if  the  word  ia 
taken  in  its  usual  sense,  given  in  the  margin  of  E. 
v.,  Vulgate,  and  by  most  expositors,  i.  e.,  strong 
To  escape  the  difficulty,  some  represent  the  first 
consonant,  H,  as  softened  from  n,  and  so  get 
C'^ttn  =  bright  red  (Kimchi,  Calvin,  Cocceius, 
Ewald,  Kohler).  Others  suppose  an  error  of  tha 
transcriber  (Hit/.ig,  Maurer,  Pressel).  But  it  is 
better  with  Fiirst  (in  Lex.],  to  derive  the  word  in 
the  text  from  an  Arabic  root  =  to  shine,  whenc* 
I  he  obtains  the  signification,  dazzling  red.    Dr.  Van 


CHAPTER   VI.   1-8. 


51 


Dyck,  in  the  modern  Arabic  Bible,  renders  it  by 

»  o  > 

fXMt,  =  shining  red.     In  any  event,  the  colors 

of  tiie  horses  denote  the  character  of  tlie  mission 
on  which  they  are  sent.  But  an  elaborate  eifort  has 
been  made  by  Hofl'man,  followed  bj-  Kliefoth, 
Wordsworth,  and  others,  to  represent  the  colors  as 
indicating  the  four  great  empires  of  Daniel  as  in- 
Btrunieiits  of  God's  judgments.  But  this  is  lbi-i)id- 
den  by  the  contemporaneousness  of  the  going  forth 
of  the  several  chariots,  by  their  destination  as  stated 
in  the  text,  by  the  lack  of  historical  verification, 
and  other  considerations.  See  Keil  and  Kohler  in 
loc.  for  a  full  refutation  of  this  apparently  plausible 
view, 

6.  The  Explanation  (vers.  5-8).  Ver.  5.  These 
are  the  four  winds.  Not  four  spirits,  as  the  text 
of  the  E.  V.  has  it,  and  Henderson  and  Neumann, 
for  angels  are  rarely  if  ever  so  described  in  the  Old 
Testament,  nor  in  that  case  would  the  appended 
words,  "  of  the  heavens,"  have  any  suitable  mean- 
ing, nor  does  the  Scripture  know  anything  of  four 
angels  par  eminence.  These  winds,  the  angel  said, 
came  forth  from  standing  before  the  universal 
Lord,  in  whose  service  they  were.  Ps.  cxlviii.  8. 
"  Stormy  wind  fulfilling  his  word."  The  agency  of 
the  four  winds  in  the  work  of  destructive  judgment 
is  seen  in  Jer.  xlix.  36,  Dan.  vii.  2,  Rev.  vii.  1. 

Vers.  6,  7.  That  in  which  are,  etc.  These 
verses  describe  the  particular  regions  visited  by 
these  divinely  appointed  messengers.  The  black 
went  toward  the  land  of  the  north,  which  all 
agree  denotes  the  territory  washed  by  the  Tigris 
and  Euphrates.  See  on  ch.  ii.  6,  7.  The  white 
go  after  them,  net  to  the  West,  as  Ewald  translates, 
for  then  we  should  expect  the  East  also,  which  does 
not  occur;  and  besides,  the  west  to  the  Hebrews 
represented  only  the  sea.  Better  is  the  ingenious 
view  of  Pressel,  who,  insisting  on  the  force  of  the 
preposition,  renders  "  to  the  land  farther  behind 
them."  This  is  grammatically  tenable,  and  favored 
by  the  fact  that  it  brings  into  view  the  farther  East, 
the  Medes  and  Persians,  as  one  of  the  distinct  ob- 
jects of  the  divine  visitation.  The  land  of  the 
south  is  of  course  Egypt  and  Arabia. 

Ver.  7.  And  the  bay  went,  etc.  So  far,  the 
prophet  seems  to  have  omitted  the  first  chariot,  the 
one  with  red  horses,  and  in  order  to  make  up  the 
number  four,  to  have  divided  the  third  team  into 
two,  taking  its  second  designation  of  color,  bay, 
as  the  fourth.     How  are  we  to  understand  this '] 

Keil,  who,  however,  renders  D'^^^S,  strong,  regards 
the  problem  as  insoluble.  Hengstenberg  affirms 
that  the  class  mentioned  in  the  seventh  verse  is  in 
reality  the  first,  and  they  are  called  strong,  because 
they  really  were  the  strongest  of  all ;  but  this  as- 
sumes what  is  certainly  not  stated,  and  cannot  be 

proved.  Hitzig  and  Maurer  assume  that  □^•!itt37 
was  omitted  from  ver.  6  by  mistake,  and  afterwards 
erroneously  substituted  in  ver.  7  for  □''^IS.  It  is 
better  to  interpret  the  term  as  Fiirst  does  in  ver. 
3,  although  even  then  it  remains  inexplicable  why 
the  prophet  should  have  described  the  first  class 
not  by  its  own  name  but  by  one  already  appropri- 
ated as  part  of  that  of  the  third.  It  may,  how- 
ever, be  safely  inferred  that  while  the  various  colors 
of  the  horses  had  some  significance,  yet  that  this 
was  no*  a  matter  of  very  great  importance,  else 
the  distinctions  stated  would  have  been  more  ac- 
curately observed.  Certainly  the  general  sense  of 
the  vision  is  plain,  whatever  view  one  adopts  as  to 
he  variations  in  the  description.    One  point  all 


agree  in,  namely,  that  the  seventh  verse  sets  forth 
what  was  done  iiy  the  horses  of  the  first  chariot. 
These  appear  to  have  been  not  content  like  the 
others  with  one  particular  territory,  but  asked  per- 
mission to  go  through  the  whole  earth.  A.id  hn 
said,  i.  e.,  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth,  who  (ver 
3)  causes  the  chariots  to  go  forth. 

Ver.  8.  And  he  called  me.  The  interpreting 
angel  calls  aloud  to  the  ])rophet,  arousing  his  atten- 
tiou  to  the  purport  of  the  vision.  Have  caused 
my  Spirit  to  rest  upon.  This  has  often  been  ex- 
plained as  analogous  to  the  phrase  "  to  cause  fury 
to  rest,"  in  Ezek.  v.  13,  xvi.  42,  but  wrath  is  not 
the  same  as  spirit.  Nor  is  such  a  violent  assump- 
tion at  all  necessary.  The  Lord's  Spirit  is  some- 
times a  Sjiirit  of  judgment  and  of  burning  (Is.  iv. 
4),  and  it  is  in  this  sense  that  the  chariots  let  down 
his  manifestations  on  the  nations.  This  verse 
specifies  only  the  land  of  the  north  as  the  scene 
of  these  operations.  But  it  could  easily  be  inferred 
from  this  what  was  the  result  in  the  other  directions. 
The  north  country  was  mentioned  because,  as  the 
inveterate  foe  of  the  covenant  people,  it  was  the 
principal  mark  of  the  judgments  of  God,  and 
should  in  the  first  instance  feel  the  consuming  en- 
ergies of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  same  law  obtains  in  the  punishment  of 
the  heathen  as  in  that  of  God's  professed  people. 
The  harvest  is  not  cut  until  it  is  ripe.  The  meas- 
ure of  iniquity  must  be  full  before  judgment  falls. 
This  doctrine  was  shown  in  the  last  vision  in  its 
application  to  the  Jews.  In  the  present  as  com- 
pared with  the  first,  of  which  it  is  the  complement, 
the  same  principle  is  illustrated  in  relation  to  the 
world  at  large.  At  the  beginning  of  this  night  of 
disclosures,  the  prophet  learned  that  there  was  no 
indication  in  the  state  of  the  heathen  world  of  any 
such  convulsion  as  his  predecessor  Haggai  had 
predicted  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  actual  inspection 
by  horsemen  commissioned  for  the  purpose  brought 
back  information  that  all  the  earth  was  quiet  and 
at  rest,  thus  furnishing  a  painful  contrast  to  the 
weak  and  suffering  condition  of  the  people  of  God. 
Now  he  learns  that  this  prosperity  and  peace  of  the 
heathen  was  not  a  permanent  thing.  The  time 
had  not  come,  and  nothing  could  be  done  until  it 
did  come.  But  it  was  sure  to  arrive.  The  wrath 
of  God  is  not  a  caprice  or  an  impulse,  but  the 
steady,  uniform,  eternal  opposition  of  his  holy  na- 
ture against  all  sin.  It  can  no  more  cease  than 
He  can.  It  is  the  very  element  of  his  being.  He 
is  necessarily  ''  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  evil." 
Not  more  certainly  is  He  infinite  in  power  or  wis- 
dom than  He  is  in  justice  and  truth.  And  these 
perfections  must  find  expression  in  his  administra- 
tion of  the  affairs  of  the  world.  Delay  is  no  evi- 
dence to  the  contrary.  The  accumulation  of  sins 
thus  produced,  only  makes  more  evident  the  desert 
of  wrath,  and  causes  a  deeper  destruction  when  the 
blow  falls. 

2.  The  resting  of  God's  Spirit  upon  a  land  it 
generally  the  cause  of  life,  holiness,  and  peace,  but 
sometimes  it  is  the  reverse.  In  visitations  of  judg- 
ment, the  Spirit  is  a  consuming  fire.  It  overwhelms, 
scatters,  destroys.  It  removes  out  of  the  way  ob- 
stacles otherwise  insuperable.  It  turns  mountains 
into  plains.  It  lays  low  hoary  despotisms,  and  pre- 
pares means  and  access  for  the  gentler  forms  of 
diffusing  the  truth.  Pacem  petit  ense.  The  ut- 
ter destruction  of  a  godless  power  is  sometimes  a 
necessary  preliminary  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 


52 


ZECHARIAH. 


THE  CROWN  UPON  JOSHUAS  HEAD. 

Chapter  VI.  9-15. 

A.    The  Symholic  Action;   Crowns  on  Joshua  (vers.  9-11).     B.    Its  Meaning;  TTu 
Branch  a  Priest  and  King  (vers.  12-15). 

9-10     Aud  the  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  me  saying,  Take^  from  the  exiles,^  from 
Cheldai,  from   Tobiah,  and  from  Jedaiah,  and  go  thou  on  that  day,  go  ^  into  the 

11  house  of  Josiah  the  son  of  Zephaniah  whither  they  have  come  from  Babylon  ;  And 
take  silver  and  gold  and  make  crowns,  and  set  them  upon  the  head  of  Joshua,  the 

12  son  of  Josedech,  the  high  priest  ;*  And  speak  to  him  saying,  Thus  speaketh  Jeho- 
vah of  Hosts,  saying,  Behold  a  man  whose  name  is  Branch,  and  from  his  place  he 

13  shall  grow  up,^  and  build  the  temple  of  Jehovah.  Even  He  ^  shall  build  the  tem- 
ple of  Jehovah,  and  He  shall  bear  majesty,  and  shall  sit  and  rule  upon  his  throne, 
and  shall  be  a  priest  upon  his  throne,  and  the  counsel  of  peace  shall  be  between 

14  them  both.     And  the  crowns  shall  be  to  Chelem,  and  to  Tobiah,  and  to  Jedaiah, 

15  and  to  Hen,  the  son  of  Zephaniah,  for  a  memorial  in  the  temple  of  Jehovah.  And 
they  that  are  far  off  shall  come  and  build  in  the  temple  of  Jehovah ;  and  ye  shall 
know  that  Jehovah  of  Hosts  hath  sent  me  to  you ;  and  it  will  come  to  pass,  if  ye 
will  hearken  unto  the  voice  of  Jehovah  your  God  —  ^ 

TEXTDAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 
1  Ver.  10.  —  The  infin.  absol.  Hip^,  used  for  the  imperatiTe,  hag  no  object,  and  is  therefore  to  be  consideied  ai 

reeomed  in  the  P\Ty\2)   of  ver.  11.     This  requires  us  to  view  the  latter  half  of  ver.  10  as  a  parentheBis,  which,  M 
Pressel  says,  "  is  somewhat  harsh  but  not  harsher  than  we  often  find  even  in  Qerman  "  or  in  English, 
li  Ver.  10.  —  nviZI,  abstract  for  concrete  =  the  exiles. 

8  Ver.  10.  —  The  repetition  of  HSU  is  one  of  the  cases  which  have  subjected  Zecbariah's  style  to  the  charge  of 
being  heavy  and  dragging. 

4  Ver.  11.  —  This  is  noted  by  the  Masorites  as  one  of  the  twenty-six  verses,  each  of  which  contains  all  tha  letters  of 
the  Hebrew  alphabet. 

5  Ver.  12.  —  np^^  —  n^^.     Observe  tbs  paronomasia  :  "  a  sprout  will  sprout  up." 

6  Ver.  13.  —  The  first  word  is  very  emphatic,  Even  He  and  not  another.     So  in  the  next  clause,  and  He. 

7  Ver.  16.  —  The  aposiopesis  is  striking  (cf  Luke  xiii.  9),  "  And  if  it  bear  fruit ;  and  if  not,  then,"  etc. 


EXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

Some  interpreters  consider  what  is  here  related 
as  another  vision,  hut  manifestly  without  reason, 
since  it  has  none  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  visions, 
is  historical  in  its  nature,  and  is  introduced  with 
the  customary  formula  which  denotes  an  ordinary 
communication  from  God,  "  the  word  of  Jehovah 
cam3  to  me."  But  while  it  is  not  one  of  the  night 
visions,  it  is  closely  connected  with  them,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  fact  that  it  was  given  at  the  same 
time  ;  that  it  resumes  the  principal  feature  of  the 
most  striking  of  the  whole,  namely,  the  fourth,  by 
describing  yet  further  the  Branch  ;  and  that  it 
stands  in  a  close  relation  of  contrast  to  the  vision 
immediately  preceding.  That  one  set  forth  the 
severe  judgments  in  store  for  all  the  foes  of  the 
theocracy.  This  symbolic  action  develops  the 
other   side   of  the   great   subject.     The   outlying 

keathen  are  not  all  to  be  destroyed  or  extermin- 
»ted.  On  the  contrary,  they  will  one  day  cease 
their  hostility  to  the  covenant  people,  and  even 
entei  into  cordial  cooperation  with  them  in  build- 

Bg  up  and  adorning  the  kingdom  of  God.     This 


is  simply  a  different  form  of  the  same  thought 
given  in  the  second  chapter  of  Haggai,  where  we 
are  told  (ver.  7)  that  the  desire  (=  desirable  things) 
of  all  nations  shall  come,  and  the  Lord  will  fill 
the  house  with  glory.  We  have  then  here  an  his- 
torical appendix  to  the  night  visions,  which  brings 
out  more  clearly  their  main  theme,  and  especially 
emphasizes  the  view  that  the  heathen  nations  are 
not  simply  to  be  disarmed  of  their  opposition,  but 
made  active  helpers  in  the  advancement  of  God's 
kingdom  and  glory. 

a.  The  Symbolic  Action  (vers.  9-11). —  Ver. 
9.  And  the  word,  etc.  Therefore  this  is  not  a 
vision. 

Ver.  10.  Take  from  the  exiles  ....  from 
Babylon.  The  exiles  is  a  term  applied  by  Ezra 
(iv.  1  ;  vi.  19)  to  the  returned  captives  (iv.  1  ;  vi. 
19),  but  here  evidently  means  those  who  were  still 
in  exile,  and  of  whom  the  persons  named  as  hav- 
ing come  from  Babylon,  were  representatives.  Of 
these  three  persons  and  their  host  Josiah,  we  know 
nothing  more  than  what  the  passage  itself  relates. 
Several  interpreters  (Jerome,  Hengstenberg,  Baum- 
garten),  following  the  LXX.,  consider  their  names 
as  significant,  but  *^bere  is  nothing  to  require  tbU 


CHAPTER  VI.   9-15. 


53 


here  more  than  elsewhere,  nor  do  the  results  thus  I 
obtained  contribute  anything  to  the  proper  under- 
standing of  the  section.     The  E.  V.  makes  "'f.r^? 

the  subject  of  ^^^^  (Targum,  Peshito,  Vulgate, 
Luther,  Henderson),  but  it  is  better  to  take  it  as 
an  accusative  of  place,  referring  to  the  house  of 
Josiah  (Nordheimer,  H.  G.,  902,  1  b.].  So  Heng- 
stenberg,  Kohler,  Keil,  etc.  According  to  this 
view  the  tliree  men  are  deputies  from  the  Jews  in 
Babylon,  and  the  fourth  was  the  host  with  whom 
they  lodged  in  Jerusalem.  On  that  day,  the  day 
raentionud  (ch.  i.  7). 

Ver.  1 1 .  Crowns.  The  plural  which  is  re- 
peated in  ver.  14  must  be  significant,  and  repre- 
sents, if  not  two  distinct  diadems,  at  least  one 
composite  crown  of  two  or  more  parts.  The 
former  is  the  more  natural  (cf.  Rev.  xix.  12)  and 
better  suited  to  the  connection  which  treats  of  the 
combination  of  two  distinct  offices  in  one  person. 
Ewald,  Hitzig,  and  Bunsen  interpolate  "and  upon 
the  head  of  Zerubbabel "  after  the  words  "  high 
priest ;  "  but  for  this  there  is  no  authority  what- 
ever, critical  or  exegetical. 

h.  The  Explanation  and  Promise  (vers.  12-15). 
—  Vers.  12  and  13  explain  the  meaning  of  the 
symbolical  action  just  commanded. 

Ver.  12.  And  speak  to  him.  Joshua  of  course 
would  know  that  the  regal  function,  so  firmly  fixed 
in  the  family  of  Uavid,  could  not  possibly  be  con- 
ferred upon  him  as  an  individual,  and  that  there- 
fore its  insignia  were  placed  upon  his  head  typi- 
cally. This  is  put  beyond  doubt  by  the  address 
here  made  to  him.  Behold  points  to  the  Messiah 
as  if  he  were  present.  He  is  called  Branch  as  if 
it  wer^.  a  proper  name,  as  appears  not  only  by  the 
lack  of  the  article,  but  by  the  established  usage  of 
the  earlier  Prophets.  See  on  ch.  iii.  8.  Of  this 
branch  or  sprout  from  the  fallen  trunk  of  David, 
it  is  said,  from  his  place  he  will  grow  up.  Some 
(LXX.,  Luther,  Hitzig,  Pressel,  etc.)  render  this 
clause  impersonally,  "  there  will  be  sprouting  or 

growth ; "  but  this  overlooks  the  7^  in  VFin/HQ, 
and  besides,  changes  the  subject  without  reason- 
Better  is  the  view  (Cocceius,  Hengsteuberg,  Baum- 
garten,  Keil,  etc),  that  the  Branch  will  grow  u|i 
from  his  place  (cf.  Ex.  x.  23),  i.  e.,  from  his  own 
land  and  nation,  not  an  exotic,  but  a  genuine  root- 
shoot  from  the  native  stock  to  which  the  prom- 
ises had  been  made.  Build  the  temple  —  not  the 
earthly  temple  then  in  progress,  for  this  was  to  be 
completed  by  Zerubbabel  (iv.  9);  not  a  new  and 
more  glorious  one  of  the  same  kind,  for  Zerub- 
babel's  temple  was  to  be  glorified  in  the  Messianic 
times  (Hag.  ii.  7-9;  Mai.  iii.  1)  ;  but  (Hengsten- 
berg,  Tholuck,  Kohler)  the  spiritual  temple  of 
which  the  tabernacle  and  Solomon's  splendid  edi- 
fice were  only  types,  the  holy  house  composed  of 
living  stones  (Eph.  ii.  21  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  5).  Not  a 
temple,  but  the  temple,  —  one  still  in  existence  and 
always  the  same,  but  destined  to  an  unprecedented 
exaltation  by  the  Messiah.  "  The  temple  of  God 
is  one,  namely,  the  Church  of  the  saved,  origin- 
ating in  the  promise  given  in  Paradise,  and  last- 
ing to  the  end  of  the  world  "  (Cocceius). 

Ver.  13.  Even  He  shall  buUd.  The  repetition 
is  not  useless,  but  emphatic,  as  the  expressed  pro- 
noun shows.  Even  he,  notwithstanding  his  lowli- 
ness of  origin,  shall  accomplish  this  great  work. 
Bear  majesty,  i.  e.,  kingly  glory  and  honor,  for 
which  ~nn  seems  to  be  the  proper  and  normal 
term  (1  Chron.  xxix.  25  ;   Dan.  xi.  21  ;  Ps.  xxi. 


5).     "Will  sit  and  rule  upon  his  throne.     "The 

former  denotes  the  possession  of  the  honor  and 
dignity  of  a  king,  the  latter  the  actual  exercise  of 
royal  authority"  (Hengsteuberg).  The  suffix  in 
"his  throne"  refers  not  to  Jehovah  (Vitringa), 
which  is  too  remote,  but  to  the  Branch  himself,  as 
is  shown  by  the  recurrence  of  the  word  in  the  next 
clause.  And  will  be  a  priest.  Ewald  and  Hitzig 
render,  "  there  will  be  a  priest  upon,"  etc.,  which 
is  both  arbitrary  and  unmeaning.  Nearly  all  in- 
terpreters, ancient  and  modern,  render  as  in  the 
text,  and  understand  the  clause  to  mean,  that  the 
Branch  would  be  both  king  and  high  priest  on  one 
and  the  same  throne.  Between  them  both.  Not 
the  Branch  and  Jehovah  (Cocceius,  Vitringa),  nor 
the  Branch  and  an  ideal  priest  (Ewald,  Bunsen), 
nor  the  royal  and  the  priestly  offices  (Rosenmiiller, 
Hengsteuberg,  etc.)  ;  but  the  king  and  the  priest 
who  sit  upon  the  throne,  united  in  one  person,  the 
Branch  (Hengstenberg,  Umbreit,  Kohler).  Upon 
this  view,  the  counsel  of  peace  caimot  mean  per- 
fect harmony,  for  that  would  be  a  matter  of  course 
—  yet  Jerome,  Michaelis,  Maurer,  and  Hengsten- 
berg favor  this  view,  —  but  is  a  counsel  which 
aims  at  or  results  in  peace,  like  "  the  chastisement 
of  our  peace  "  in  Is.  liii.  5,  i.  e.,  which  has  for  its  ob- 
ject our  peace.  The  sense,  then,  is  that  the  Branch, 
uniting  in  himself  royalty  and  priesthood,  will 
take  such  counsel  as  shall  result  in  peace  and  sal- 
vation for  the  covenant  people. 

Vers.  14,  15.  The  Prophet  having  explained 
the  meaning  of  Joshua's  coronation,  now  proceeds 
to  give  the  reason  why  the  silver  and  gold  of  which 
the  crowns  were  composed,  were  to  be  obtained 
from  the  messengei's  of  the  Jews  who  lived  at  a 
distance  from  their  native  land. 

Ver.  14.  And  the  crowns  shall  be.  The 
crowns,  after  having  been  placed  upon  the  head  of 
Joshua,  were  not  to  become  his  personal  property, 
but  to  be  preserved  in  the  temple  as  a  memorial 
of  the  deputies  from  Babylon.  The  names  of 
these  persons  are  the  same  as  those  given  in  ver. 
10,  except  the  first  and  last;  Helem  standing  for 
Heldiah,  and  Hen  for  Josiah.  In  the  former  case 
the  two  names  are  so  nearly  alike  that  there  is  a 
general  agreement  in  the  view  which  refers  them 
to  the  same  person,  and  considers  the  variation  as 
a  copyist's  error.  In  the  latter,  Keil  and  Kohler 
render  the  second  name  as  an  appellative  noun 
with  the  sense  of  favor,  and  consider  it  a  record 
of  the  gracious  hospitality  which  the  son  of  Zeph- 
aniah  had  shown  to  the  deputies  from  Babylon. 
But  this  is  certainly  artificial,  and  it  is  better  to 
assume  that  Josiah  had  this  additional  name.  The 
object  of  depositing  the  crowns  in  the  temple  was 
not  simply  to  do  honor  to  the  liberality  of  the  con- 
tributors from  Babylon,  but  also  to  extend  the 
typical  significance  of  the  whole  proceeding.  These 
men,  sending  from  afar  their  gifts  for  the  house 
of  God,  were  types  of  many  who  would  one  day 
come  from  heathen  lands  and  help  to  build  the 
temple  of  the  Lord. 

Ver.  15.  And  they  that  are  afar  off.  A  mani- 
fest prediction  that  distant  strangers  should  active- 
ly participate  in  setting  up  the  kingdom  of  God. 
And  ye  shall  know,  etc.  The  occurrence  of  this 
result  would  be  a  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of 
what  is  here  predicted  in  word  and  deed.  The 
last  clause,  and  it  will  ....  your  God,  is  con- 
sidered by  Hengstenberg   and   Henderson   as   an 

aposiopesis,  If  ye  will    hearken,  then .     This 

certainly  gives  an  emphatic  and  spirited  close  to 
the  prophecy,  and  grammatically  agrees  better 
with  the  form  of  the  original  than  the  sappoaition 


54 


ZKCHARIAIl. 


that  a  pronoun  has  been  omitted  as  the  subject  of 
n^HT.  The  suppressed  apodosis  of  course  is,  ye 
shall  participate  in  all  the  blessinjjs  which  the 
Branch  is  to  secure.  For  other  instances  o{  aposi- 
ypesis,  see  Gen.  xxxi.  42  and  1.  15  (in  Hebrew), 
and  the  very  strikiiij?  instance  (Ps.  xxvii.  1.3).  The 
question,  whether  Zechariah  really  performed  the 
Bymbolical  action  here  enjoined,  is  left  undecided 
by  some  (Hensjstenberg,  Keil),  but  there  soems  lit- 
tle reason  to  doubt  that  he  did,  since  the  crown 
was  to  be  hung  up  in  the  temple  as  a  memorial. 

THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  favorite  designation  of  the  Messiah, 
Branch,  reappears,  with  a  considerable  amplifi- 
cation of  its  meaning.  An  elaborate  and  costly 
double  crown  is  placed  upon  the  head  of  Joshua 
as  the  type  of  one  who  is  merely  a  slender  sprout 
or  root-shoot,  which  grows  up  out  of  its  own  place. 
This  was  exactly  true  of  the  historical  Christ.  He 
did  not  descend  from  heaven  in  visible  glory  and 
greatness.  He  was  not  born  in  the  purple,  nor 
waited  upon  by  princes  and  nobles.  He  did  not 
enter  our  world  with  any  show  or  pomp  such  as 
his  deluded  countrymen  expected  ;  but,  although 
a  lineal  heir  of  David  and  able  to  trace  his  ances- 
try back  to  Abraham,  he  sprang  from  a  decayed 
family  and  had  a  manger  for  his  first  resting-place. 
The  Davidic  trunk  had  fallen,  and  this  was  a  mere 
sucker  growing  out  of  one  of  the  upturned  roots. 
Heaven  indeed  took  notice  of  the  event  by  the  Star 
in  the  east,  the  visit  of  the  Magi,  and  the  songs  of 
the  Angels ;  but  the  world  at  large  knew  little 
and  cared  less  about  the  birth  at  Bethlehem.  Af- 
ter the  same  pattern  was  his  further  development. 
He  grew  up  out  of  his  place  in  lowly  humiliation. 
For  thirty  years  his  home  was  in  Galilee,  in  the 
house  of  a  humble  carpenter,  and  during  all  that 
time  he  was  known  simply  as  a  reputable  youth 
in  a  country  village.  An  apocryphal  Gospel  tells 
marvelous  stories  of  his  infancy,  but  these  are 
pure  inventions.  The  man  Christ  Jesus  grew  up 
as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground.  And  even  after 
He  commenced  his  ministry,  and  did  such  works 
as  no  other  man  did,  and  spoke  as  no  other  man 
spake.  He  was  still  but  a  Branch.  Crowds  at 
times  gathered  around  Him,  but  in  all  cases  they 
soon  fell  away.  In  general  He  was  despised  and 
rejected  of  men.  This  continued  during  his  lii'e, 
was  especially  marked  in  the  circumstances  of  his 
death,  and  even  long  afterwards  characterized  his 
memory,  since  one  of  the  best  Procurators  of 
Judaea  could  speak  of  Him  as  "one  Jesus"  (Acts 
XXV.  19)  ;  and  a  century  later  the  most  illustrious  i 
of  Roman  historians  knew  of  him  only  as  the 
author  of  a  pernicious  superstition  who  himself 
had  deservedly  died  a  felon's  death.  Yet  this 
neglected  and  forgotten  Branch  was  to  accomplish 
Bome  wonderful  things. 

2.  One  of  these  was  to  build  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord.  His  type,  Joshua,  was  busily  engaged  in 
forwarding  the  erection  of  the  new  structure  on 
Moriah,  and  that  edifice,  by  successive  additions  in 
a  long  course  of  years,  became  a  most  stately  and 
magnificent  pile.  But  it  was  a  far  nobler  build- 
ing to  which  the  Branch  applied  himself,  one  which 
was  truly  a  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit, 
one  composed  of  living  stones.  The  glory  of  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  was  that  there  the  Most 
High  manifested  his  presence;  and  all  beauty  of 

1  Tacitua. 


form  and  gr.ace  of  ornamentation  was  valued  onlj 
in  so  far  as  it  rendered  the  house  fit  for  the  resi 
dence  of  God.  Now  the  true  temple,  the  spirit 
ual  house,  is  tiie  actual  dwelling-place  of  Jehovah, 
where  He  displays  the  fact,  not  by  signs  or  sym- 
bols, not  by  a  material  Shekinah,  but  by  the  graces 
of  his  Spirit  inwrought  in  the  hearts  and  mani- 
fested in  the  lives  of  his  people.  He  dwells  not 
merely  among  them  as  a  whole,  but  in  e;ich  par- 
ticular member.  Ubi  Spiritus,  ibi  ecclesia.  These 
members  vary  widely  in  other  respects,  but  they 
are  all  alike  characterized  by  the  indwelling  of  the 
Spirit,  the  source  of  their  life  and  the  bond  of 
their  connection  with  Christ,  the  head.  Now  it  is 
this  living  temple  which  the  Branch  builds.  He 
is,  according  to  the  common  Scripture  metaphor, 
the  foundation,  the  corner-stone  ;  but  here  he  ap- 
pears as  builder.  Sending  forth  his  servants  he 
began  and  still  continues  the  work,  collecting, 
shaping,  and  laying  the  materials,  until  already 
an  innumerable  multitude  have  been  framed  into 
such  a  structure  as  earth  never  saw  before.  The 
Church  on  earth  has  many  imperfections,  yet  after 
allowing  for  all  these,  it  is  still  a  coetus  Sanctorum, 
a  civitas  Dei,  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord  ;  and  it 
bears  witness  in  every  part  to  the  grace  and  skill 
of  its  great  Founder.  He,  only  He,  did  build, 
could  build  such  a  glorious  edifice. 

3.  The  source  of  his  power  and  success  is  indi- 
cated in  the  very  peculiar  functions  assigned  to  Him 
in  the  text.  He  is  a  priest  upon  his  throne,  — 
a  combination  wholly  strange  to  the  experience  of 
the  covenant  people,  and  heretofore  known  to  them 
only  in  the  dim  tradition  from  patriarchal  days, 
of  the  mysterious  Melchisedek  who  was  at  once 
king  of  Salem  and  a  priest  of  the  most  high  God. 
In  the  Branch,  the  Aaronic  line  and  the  Davidic 
line  should  both  culminate.  He  should  fulfill  the 
highest  ideal  of  each.  As  the  one,  real,  atoning 
priest,  he  was  to  attain  all  i^ovalav  for  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins  and  the  removal  of  guilt;  and  as  the 
one,  real,  reigning  king,  he  was  to  exercise  all  5u- 
vafjiiy  for  the  inward  support  and  outward  protec- 
tion of  his  people.  The  two  functions  coincided 
in  extent  and  object.  Those  for  whom  the  priest 
offered  and  interceded,  were  the  very  parties  over 
whom  the  king  extended  his  beneficent  reign.  This 
counsel  between  the  two  ofiices,  this  harmony  of 
aim  and  purpose,  cannot  but  insure  peace  =  the 
highest  good,  temporal  and  spiritual,  of  his  peo- 
ple. The  combination  of  right  and  power  is  irre- 
sistible. So  it  has  been  in  all  the  past ;  so  it  will 
be  in  all  the  future.  This  man  hath  an  unchange 
able  priesthood,  and  his  dominion  is  an  everlasi- 
ing  dominion,  and  his  kingdom  that  which  shall 
not  be  destroyed  (Heb.  vii.  24  ;  Dan.  vii.  14).  We 
can  see  the  value  of  this  combination  more  clearly 
by  considering  the  consequences,  if  either  function 
stood  alone.  Of  what  avail  would  be  the  pardon 
of  sin,  if  there  were  no  security  against  its  recur- 
rence and  dominion  in  the  future  ?  The  wiping 
out  of  the  old  score  would  simply  make  room  for 
a  new  one.  On  the  other  hand,  of  what  use  would 
be  the  mastery  of  all  concupiscence  for  the  present 
and  all  time  to  come,  so  long  as  no  provision  was 
made  for  the  arrearages  of  former  transgression 
and  guilt  f  The  burden  of  the  past  would  only  ba 
the  more  intolerable  as  its  enormity  would  oe  the 
more  clearly  discerned  and  felt.  We  need  a  Priest 
and  a  King,  and,  blessed  be  God  we  have  them 
with  a  resulting  counsel  vjf  peace. 

4.  The  calling  of  the  Gentiles  belongs  to  the 
building  of  the  ideal  temple.  This  is  set  forth 
typically  by  taking  materials  from  Babylon  for  th« 


CHAPTER  VII.  1-14. 


double  crown  to  he  phiced  upon  Joshna,  and  di- 
rectly by  the  declaration  that  they  that  are  far  off 
shall  come  and  build  in  the  temple  of  the  Lord. 
This  very  expression  the  Apostle  Paul  uses  to  des- 
ignate the  Gentile  Ephesians  (ii.  17),  "you  that 
are  far  off."  Zechariah  faithfully  echoes  the  words 
of  all  his  predecessors  as  to  the  extent  of  the  final 
dispensation  of  grace.  The  universality  indicated 
in  the  first  promise,  and  clearly  expressed  in  the 
oft-repeated  covenant  with  Abraham,  was  never 
lost  sight  of.  Even  amid  the  narrow  restrictions 
and  close  lines  of  Judaism  there  were  significant 
intimations  that  the  barriers  of  race  were  only  in- 
cidental and  temporary  (see  on  ii.  11),  and  that 
one  day  the  light  and  life  of  Zion  should  extend 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Just  as  Isaiah  (Ix.  2,  6, 
9)  sets  forth  the  future  triumph  of  the  Gospel  by 
representing  huge  caravans  as  journeying  toward 
Zion,  and  the  ships  of  Tarshish  as  engaged  in 
transporting  the  sons  of  strangers  thither  with 
their  silver  and  their  gold,  so  our  Prophet  ex- 
presses the  same  truth  by  depicting  the  far-off  na- 
tions as  builders  in  the  temple.  As  living  stones 
they  come,  and  insert  themselves  in  the  sacred  edi- 
fice, being  built  upon  "  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  in 
whom  the  whole  building  groweth  into  an  holy 
temple  in  the  Lord."  And  not  only  that,  but  un- 
der the  master-builder,  they  are  the  means  of  gath- 
ering others,  and  so  lifting  yet  higher  the  walls 
of  that  spiritual  house  which  is  the  temple  of  the 
living  God.  The  chief  upholders  to-day  of  heathen 
evangelization  are  nations  farthest  off  from  the  old 
seat  of  the  theocracy. 

HOMILBTICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :   The  history  of  the  world  is  arranged 
in  reference  to  the  destinies  of  the  Church ;  and 


the  agencies  that  control  that  history  go  forth 
from  the  seat  of  the  Church's  great  head,  the  un- 
seen temple.  Political  changes  are  after  all  onlj 
the  moving  of  the  shadow  on  the  earthly  dial-plate 
that  marks  the  mightier  revolutions  going  forward 
in  the  heavens 

Bradley  :  The  temple  of  Jehovah.  If  God  so 
loves  his  Church  as  to  call  it  his  house,  to  dwell 
in  it  and  delight  in  it ;  if  He  deems  it  so  sacred  as 
to  call  it  his  temple ;  if  He  sees  so  much  grandeur 
and  beauty  in  it  as  to  speak  of  its  glory  ;  surely, 
we  may  find  in  it  something  to  love,  something  to 

delight  in,  soinetiiing  to  revere  and  admire 

He  shall  build.  Christ  is  the  builder.  (1.)  He 
forms  the  ]>lan.  (2.)  He  prepares  the  materials. 
(3.)    He  joins  the  materials  together. 

Jat  :  The  temple  is  the  Church  of  God.  His 
people,  therefore,  should  remember  that  all  they 
have  and  all  they  are  is  the  Lord's ;  and  that  to 
take  anything  pertaining  to  a  temple  is  not  only 

robbery  but  sacrilege Christ  is   the  sole 

real  builder.  All  others  build  only  as  instru- 
ments. Even  Paul  and  Apollos  were  only  minis- 
ters by  whom  men  believed,  even  as  the  Lord  gave 
to  every  man.  Too  often  men  are  insensible  of 
this,  and  begin  like  Melancthon,  who  supposed  in 
his  fervor  that  he  should  convert  all  who  heard 
him. 

Pressel  :  Every  contribution  toward  the  build- 
ing up  of  the  Church,  coming  from  a  true  heart, 
has  its  memorial  before  God,  and  as  a  testimony 
before  the  world  of  the  divinity  of  the  Gospel.  .  .  . 
The  slowness  of  the  far-off  nations  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  is  due  not  so  much  to  tha 
hardness  of  their  hearts  as  to  the  feeble  attention 
of  Christians  to  the  voice  of  their  God  and  Sar- 


in.  THE  ANSWER  TO  THE  QUESTION  CONCERNING  THE  FAST. 
Chapters  VII.  and  VIIL 
1.   THE  QUESTION  PROPOSED:  THE  PROPHET'S  REBUKE. 
Chapter  VII. 


A.    The   Question  (vers.  1-4). 


4. 


B.    Present  Rebuke  (vers.  5-7). 
Past  (vers.  8-14). 


C.   Appeal  to  th» 


And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fourth  year  of  Darius  the  king  that  the  word  ot 
Jehovah  came  to  Zechariah  on  the  fourth  day  of  the  ninth  month,  in  Kislev,  when 
Bethel  ^  sent  Sharezer  and  Regem-melech  and  his  men,  to  entreat  Jehovah,-  to 
speak  to  the  priests  who  were  at  the  hoitse  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  to  the  proph- 
ets, saying,  Shall  I  weep  in  the  fifth  month,  separating  myself,  as  I  have  now  ^  done 
5  so  many  years  ?  And  the  word  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  came  to  me,  saying.  Speak 
to  all  the  people  of  the  land  and  to  the  priests,  saying,  When  ye  fasted  and  mourned 
in  the  fifth  (month)  and  in  the  seventh,  and  that  fur  seventy  years,  did  ye  fast  at 
all  to  me,  to  me  ?  And  when  ye  eat  ^  and  when  ye  drink,  is  it  not  ^  ye  who  eat 
and  ye  who  drink  ?®  [Know  ye]  not  the  words  which  Jehovah  proclaimed  by  the 
former  prophets,  when  Jerusalem  was  inhabited  and  at  peace,  and  her  cities  round 
about  her,  and  the  South,  and  the  Lowland  were  inhabited  ? 

^       And  the  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  Zecharia^^  saying, 


b6  ZECHAKIAH. 


9  Thus  spake  "^  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  saying, 
Judge  the  judgment  of  truth,* 
And  show  kindness  and  pity  ^  one  to  another. 

10  And  widow  and  orphan, 

And  stranger  and  poor  man,^"  do  not  oppress ; 
And  evil  against  a  brother 
Conceive  ye  not  in  your  heart. 

11  But  they  refused  to  attend. 

And  offered  a  rebellious  shoulder, 

And  made  their  ears  too  heavy  to  hear." 

12  And  their  heart  they  made  an  adamant, 
That  they  might  not  hear  the  law 

And  the  words  which  Jehovah  of  Hosts  sent  by  his  Spirit^ 

By  means  of  the  former  prophets  ; 

Aid  there  was  great  wrath  from  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

13  And  it  came  to  pass. 

That  as  he  cried  and  they  did  not  hear, 
"  So  they  call  and  I  hear  not,^ 
Saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts ; 

14  And  I  whirl"  them  over  all  the  nations  whom  they  knew  not:* 
And  the  land  was  made  desolate  behind  them, 

So  that  no  one  goes  out  or  comes  in. 

And  [so]  they  made  the  pleasant  land  a  desert." 

TEXTUAL  AND   ORAMMATIOAL. 

i  Ver.  2.  —  vS'/T'D  to  a  proper  name  here,  as  it  is  in  Judges  xx.  18,  26,  81. 

t  'Ver.  2 ""iSTIM  Hi  ^H/.    Henderson  renders  this  (here  and  in  riii.  21)  in  rather  inperfin*  BnglUh,  —  to  turn 

idxatt  the  regard.    It  is  not  =  pray  be/ore  (E.  V.),  but  simply,  to  entreat  or  beseech.    Cf.  2  Chion.  rxxlll.  12. 

t  Ver.  8. nT  here  is  equivalent  to  our  now.     Qen.  xxxi.  38.     See  Text,  and  Gram,  on  i.  12. 

4  Ver.  6.  —  The  tenses  in  the  first  clause  cannot  grammatically  be  rendered  as  preterites,  as  E.  V. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  The  marginal  rendering  (E.  V. )  of  the  question  is  better  than  that  of  the  text,  as  leaving  leas  to  be  Bupi 
plied. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  The  question,  "  Is  it  not  ye,"  etc.,  implies,  "  Have  I  anything  at  all  to  do  with  it?  Is  it  not  your  owa 
kOur  entirely  ? 

7  Ver.  9.  —  The  first  verb  must  be  rendered  in  the  preterit;   spake,  not  speaketh. 

8  Ver.  9.  — Judgment  of  truth.     The  margin  of  E.  V.  is  better  than  the  text. 

9  Ver.  9. —  ~T— i"',  kindness.      D''^n~l,  pity.     See  for  the  latter  on  i.  16. 

10  Ver.  10.  —  As  the  first  four  nouns  are  anarthrous  in  the  original,  it  is  more  literal  as  well  as  more  spirited  to  ttn- 
An  them  so  in  the  version. 

11  Ver.  11.  — In  27i?2t2^Q,  'he  preposition  has  its  not  unusual  privative  force. 

13  Ver.  13.  —  The  change  of  tense  in  the  latter  half  of  this  verse  is  obliterated  in  the  E.  V.  The  writer  passes  firom 
narration,  and  cites  the  ipsissima  verba  of  Jehovah.     This  is  a  better  explanation  than  that  which  makes  the  fntore  eX' 

pr«es  a  past  action  still  continuing  (Moore).    Kohler  and  Pressel  extend  the  citation  as  fiir  as  2ti?X3,  but  it  is  better  with 

Bwald  and  Dmbreit  to  make  it  terminate  with  0^371^,  since  the  next  verb  is  clearly  a  preterite. 

18  Ver.  14.  —  □~1!S[DST  is  not  an  Aramaic  form,  but  results  from  the  guttur&l  attracting  to  itself  the  vowel  of  tb* 
preceding  vav.   (Green*  Heb.  Gram.,  60,  3  c.  and  92  e.) 

14  Ver.  14.  —  To  render  the  last  clause  impersonally  (Maurer),  is  enfeebling  as  well  as  needless. 


KXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

This  prophecy  is  separated  from  what  precedes 
by  an  interval  of  nearly  two  years,  during  all 
which  time  the  work  upon  the  Temple  had  been 
Bteadily  prosecuted.  As  the  buildinrr  rose  before 
the  eyes  of  the  people  and  gave  promise  of  a  speedy 
restoration  of  the  ancient  worship  in  its  integrity, 
they  became  doubtful  about  the  propriety  of  con- 
tinuing to  observe  the  solemn  fasts  by  which  they 
commemorated  calamitous  epochs  in  their  former 
history,  especially  the  anniversary  of  the  burning 
>f  the  city  and  temple  by  Nebuchadnezzar  on  the 


tenth  day  of  the  fifth  month.  Accordingly  a  mes- 
sage of  inquiry  was  sent  to  the  priests  and  the 
prophets,  to  which  the  Lord  vouchsafed  a  direct 
and  abundant  answer  by  the  hand  of  Zechariah. 
The  first  part  of  this  answer  is  contained  in  the 
chapter  before  us.  After  reciting  the  occasion  of 
the  oracle  (vers.  1-3)  the  prophet  rebukes  them 
for  the  formalism  of  their  services  (vers.  4-7),  and 
then  reminds  them  of  the  disobedience  of  their 
lathers  and  the  sad  doom  which  followed  (vers.  8- 
14). 

Vers.  1-3.  The  Question.  Ver.  1.  And  it  cama 
.  .  .  .  Kislev.  The  original  here  is  peculiar,  Id 
that  the  note  of  time  is  torn  apart,  the  year  bein£ 


CHAPTEK  VII.   1-U. 


57 


first  mentioned,  and  then  after  the  insertion  of  a 
clause  on  another  topic,  the  dav  and  month  are 
stated.  Moreover,  the  latter  notation,  in  the 
fourth.  ....  Kislev,  must  belong  both  to  the 
clause  which  precedes  it  and  to  the  one  which  fol- 
lows it  in  ver.  2,  —  of  which  Kohler  jnstlv  savs, 
that  although  not  impossible,  it  is  certainly  harsh. 
The  sense,  however,  is  plain.  Kislev  corresponds 
to  part  of  November  and  part  of  December.  The 
origin  and  mtaniug  of  the  name  are  quite  uncer- 
tain. 

Ver.  2.  "When  Bethel  sent,  etc.  The  LXX., 
Vnlgate,  Cocceius.  et  ai,  make  Bethel  the  object 
or  accusative  of  place,  but  in  that  case  it  would 

have  been  preceded  by  --S,  or  at  least  HS,  or  made 
to  follow  the  subject ;  and  besides  there  seems  to 
be  no  reason  why  after  the  Captivity  the  Lord 
should  have  been  sought  at  Bethel,  since  neither 
the  altar  nor  the  prophet  was  there  at  that  time. 
It  must  then  be  the.  subject,  as  most  expositors 
hold,  but  not  in  the  sense  of  Hengstenberg,  as  = 
the  congregation  of  the  Lord,  the  whole  people, 
since  there  is  no  nsage  to  sustain  this  view,  but 
simply  =  the  people  of  Bethel,  many  of  whom,  we 
know,  had  returned  with  Zerubbabel  (Ez.  ii.  28, 
Xeh.  vii.  32),  and  soon  rebuilt  their  city  (Neh.  xi. 
31).  Some  make  the  two  following  names  to  be 
in  apposition  with  Bethel  (Ewald,  Hitzig).  but 
this  is  harsh  as  well  as  needless.  The  Bethelites 
sent  two  of  their  number,  one  of  whom  has  an 
Assyrian  name  (Sharezer),  and  was  probably  bom 
in  exile.  Their  object  was  to  stroke  the  face,  i.  e., 
to  conciliate  by  caresses,  or  to  entreat,  Jehovah. 
It  is  farther  stated  in  the  next  verse. 

Ver.  3.  To  speak  to  the  priests,  etc.  The 
priests  as  well  as  the  prophets  were  regarded  as 
organs  of  divine  commnnications.     See  Hag.  ii. 

11,  Mai.  ii.  7.  ''.'l|'7  J*  not  adequately  translated 
by  abstaining,  i.  e.,  from  food,  for  it  means  a  separ- 
ation from  all  the  ordinary  occupations  of  life.  It 
is  not,  therefore,  (as  Fiirst  and  Keil  say)  =  Z-12- 
The  question  is  put  in  the  name  of  the  population 
of  Bethel,  but  they  represented  what  was  a  general 
feeling,  and  hence  the  Lord's  answer  is  addressed 
to  the  people  at  large. 

Vers.  4-7  contain  a  reproof  of  their  manner  of 
observing  a  fast. 

Ver.  5.  Speak  to  all,  etc.  The  added  specifica- 
tion, to  the  priests,  indicates  that  they  particu- 
larly needed  the  information  thus  given,  the  sub- 
stance of  which  is  that  the  fasting  was  a  matter  of 
no  consequence  to  the  Lord.  He  had  not  com- 
manded it,  nor  was  it  observed  out  of  regard  to 
Him.  When  the  people  fasted,  and  when  they  ate 
and  drank,  it  was  in  either  case  simply  with  a'view 
to  their  own  interest.  It  was  therefore  a  matter  of 
supreme  inditference  to  Him,  whether  they  kept 
this  formal  observance  or  not.  The  text  refers  not 
only  to  the  fast  in  the  fifth  month,  but  also  to  one 
in  the  seventh.  This  was  observed  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  murder  of  Gedaliah  and  his  friends 
(Jer.  xli.  Iff.).  The  emphatic  repetition,  to  me, 
to  me,  in  the  end  of  the  verse,  is  the  key  to  its 
meaning. 

Ver.  6.  And  when  ye  eat,  etc.  That  is,  yonr 
feasting  as  well  as  your  fasting,  is  conducted  with- 
out regard  to  me.  simply  for  your  own  gratifica- 
tion. 

Ver.  7.  Know  ye  not,  etc.  The  sentence  being 
manifestly  incomplete,  some  supply  n_"  after  the 
Srst  word,  and  render,  "  Are  not  these  the  words," 


I  etc.  (LXX.,  Vulgate,  Rosenmiiller,  E.  V.  margin) , 
but  this  would  require  a  noun  with  i^?5  to  be  taken 
as  a  nominative,  and  besides,  there  is  nc  record 
elsewhere  of  any  such  utterance  of  Gcd  as  thia 
view  requires.  It  is  better  (Mark,  Ewald,  Pressel, 
et  al.)  to  supply  "  know  ye,"  and  explain  the  word* 

in  question  by  what  follows  in  vers.  9,  10.  T^Z"]"*. 
Some  critics  contend  for  an  inrran.sitive  rendering 
as  alone  p:x)perfor  chiz^word  (cf.  i.  2),  but  here  the 
sense  can  scarcely  be  expressed  in  English  except 
by  a  passive  form.    Certainly  it  would  be  an  undua 

liberty  to  supply  JniirZ"!  from  i.  11,  as  Kliefoth 
and  Kohler  do.  The  South  and  the  Lowland 
(Shefela),  were  well  detined  geographical  divisions 
of  Palestine  from  the  time  of  the  Conquest  (cf.  in 
Hebrew,  Josh.  x.  40,  xv.  21,  31 ;  Smith,  Diet.  Bib., 
2291,2296). 

Vers.  8-14.  Here  the  prophet  reminds  his  people 
that  the  Lord  required  something  else  than  formal 
fastings,  and  that  the  disobedience  of  the  fathers 
was  the  cause  of  their  ruin. 

Ver.  9.  Thus  spake  Jehovah,  etc.  The  con- 
nection requires  that  the  first  verb  should  be  ren- 
dered strictly  in  the  preterite,  and  not  as  the  E.  V. 
in  the  present.  Judgment  of  truth  is  that  which 
is  founded  upon  the  actual  facts  in  the  case  without 
regard  to  personal  considerations  (Ezek.  xviii.  8). 
Kindness  and  pity  are  related  as  genus  and  spe- 
cies, the  latter  being  kindness  shown  to  the  unfor- 
tunate. 

Ver.  10.  And  widow  and  orphan  €'c.  This 
verse  specifies  some  of  the  chief  ways  of  violating 
the  preceding  requisition,  and  shows  that  it  covers 
the  thoughts  of  the  heart  as  well  as  the  acts  of  the 

members.  The  singular  occurrence  of  "'^H'^  ^'^'S 
after  a  noun  in  the  construct,  is  explained  by  Gen. 
ix.  5,  where  it  stands  appositionally,  =  the  mam 
who  is  his  brother.  Henderson  violates  all  gram- 
mar by  rendering  (after  the  LXX.),  '•'  think  not  in 
your  heart  of  the  injury  which  one  hath  done  to 
another."  The  Vulgate  would  have  been  a  better 
guide,  malum  virjratri  suo  non  cogitet  in  corde  sua. 

Ver.  11.  But  they  refused  .  .  .  to  hear.  The 
figure  offered  a  rebeUious  shoulder  (Xeh.  is.  29), 
is  taken  from  the  conduct  of  an  ox  or  heifer,  refus- 
ing the  yoke.   Cf.  Hos.  iv.  16. 

Ver.  12.    And  they  made,  etc.     Adamant  ia  a 

better  translation  for  "'^^^  ^^^^  diamond  (Pres- 
sel, Kohler,  etc.),  because  it  suggests  only  that 
point  for  which  the  term  is  introduced,  namely,  its 
impenetrable  hardness.  The  relative  refers  to  both 
the  preceding  nouns,  but  there  is  no  warrant  for 
giving  to  the  law  any  but  its  strict  and  usual 
sense.  This  clause  well  expresses  the  two  factors 
in  all  divine  revelation,  the  guiding  Spirit  and  the 
inspired  instruments.  The  last  clause  expresses 
the  result  of  the  disobedience  and  obduracy  of  the 
people. 

Ver.  13.  And  it  came  to  pass,  etc.  This  verse 
contains  a  sudden  change  in  the  form  of  the  ad 
dress.  The  protasis  is  in  the  words  of  the  prophet, 
but  the  apodosis.  so  they  call,  etc.,  introduces  Je- 
hovah as  the  speaker,  and  He  continues  to  be  such 
until  the  second  clause  of  the  concluding  verse. 
The  sentiment  echoes  the  last  words  of  the  firsi 
chapter  of  Proverbs. 

Ver.  14.  And  I  will  whirl  them,  etc.  I  prefer 
the  rendering,  whom  they  knew  not,  of  the  E.  V., 
following  the  LXX.,  to  the  other,  "who  knew  not 
them,"  adopted  by  most  critics  after  the  Vtilgate. 
In  either  case  the  sense  is  clear,  namely,  that  thej 


58 


ZECHARIAH. 


would  fall  into  the  liands  of  those  who  bein<^  total 
Btrarn,'^ers  were  the  loss  likely  to  show  compassion. 
Goes  out  or  comes  in,  literally,  goes  away  and 
returns  again,  is  an  idiomatic  phrase,  first  found  in 
Ex.  xx.xii.  27,  for  passing  to  and  fro.  Its  nega- 
tive presents  a  sad  picture  of  entire  desolation. 
The  pleasant  Aand  is  a  familiar  designation  of 
Canaan  in  its  agreeable  aspect  (Ps.  cvi.  24;  Jer. 
iii.  19).  This  final  clause  states  the  result,  and  to 
give  it  its  full  effect,  requires  the  parenthetic  inser- 
tion of  so  in  the  version.  Thus  it  is  made  plain 
that  all  the  calamity  whicli  is  bewailed  on  the  fast 
days  was  brought  on  by^  the  sinful  obduracy  of 
those  to  whom  "  the  former  prophets  "  spoke  by 
the  Spirit,  but  alas,  spoke  in  vain. 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  question  of  the  Bethelites  indicates  very 
clearly  the  wretched  formalism  into  which  the  peo- 
ple had  degenerated.  The  fasts  about  which  they 
inquired  were  not  of  divine  appointment,  and  had 
no  hold  upon  the  conscience.  The  same  author- 
ity which  originated  them  could  of  course  discon- 
tinue them.  The  question  itself,  as  well  as  the 
motive  from  which  it  sprang,  betrayed  entire  ignor- 
ance of  the  nature  and  design  of  Scriptural  fast- 
ing. It  is  not  an  ascetic  exercise,  and  has  no  in- 
trinsic value  whatever.  Hence  even  in  the  com- 
plicated and  extensive  ritual  of  the  Old  Testament, 
there  is  mention  of  only  one  stated  fast  —  the  day 
of  atonement  (Lev.  xvi.  29),  —  and  that,  only  by 
the  indirect  expression  "afflict  your  souls."  In 
all  other  cases,  and  there  are  very  many  of  them, 
the  sei"vice  is  set  forth  as  strictly  pro  re  nata,  some- 
thing springing  out  of  the  circumstances  at  the 
time,  and  intended  to  cease  as  soon  as  they  ceased. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  design  was  to  guard 
against  the  very  error  of  the  Jews  mentioned  here, 
—  one  that  long  continued  to  prevail  among  them 
and  which  centuries  afterward  was  distinctly  re- 
buked by  our  Lord.  At  one  time  the  objection 
was  made  to  him  by  the  disciples  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist, "  Why  do  we  and  the  Pharisees  fast  oft,  but 
thy  disciples  fast  not  ■?  And  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
Can  the  children  of  the  bride-chamber  mourn,  as 
long  as  the  bridegroom  is  with  them?  but  the  days 
will  come  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken 
from  them,  and  then  shall  they  fast "  (Matt.  ix. 
14,  15).  That  is,  while  I  am  present  with  my  dis- 
ciples, there  is  no  occasion  for  any  such  observ- 
ance, and  if  I  instituted  one,  its  design  would  sure- 
ly be  mistaken.  Hereafter,  circumstances  will  arise 
when  they  will  instinctively  feel  that  observances 
of  this  kind  arp  called  for,  and  then  they  will  ap- 
point them,  and  retain  them  so  long  as  may  be 
necessary.  Our  Lord  does  not  deny  the  lawful- 
ness or  the  expediency  of  fasting ;  but  He  does 
deny  its  intrinsic  excellence  or  usefulness.  It  is 
an  expression  of  sorrow  and  humiliation  proper 
to  be  used  oir  the  occasions  which  call  for  such 
feelings ;  then  it  is  fitted  to  help  the  discipline  of 
the  soul  and  to  lead  to  benefits  quite  beyond  itself 
Indeed,  on  such  occasions  it  is  a  suggestion  of  na- 
ture itself,  —  nothing  being  more  common  than  for 
extreme  grief  or  other  mental  excitement  to  take 
away  the  appetite  for  food.  But  whenever  the  ex- 
ercise is  made  to  recur  statedly  at  regular  inter- 
vals without  regard  to  circumstances,  its  inevitable 
tendency  is  to  degenerate  into  a  barren  form  and 
ft  mischievous  self-deception. 

2.  This  error  is  a   serious  one.     Overstrained 


devotion  to  ceremonial  observances  is  sure  to  react 
disastrously  upon  morals.  Men  lose  the  sense  of 
proportion,  and  lay  more  stress  upon  mint,  anise, 
and  cummin  than  upon  judgment  and  mercy;  and 
they  compensate  for  rigidity  in  forms  by  great 
looseness  in  substance.  Hence  in  this  chapter, 
Zechariah,  before.answering  the  question  proposed, 
exposes  the  hollowness  of  mere  outward  fastinga 
(vers.  5,6),  and  then  reminds  them  of  the  causes 
of  their  fathers'  ruin  (vers.  11,  12).  It  was  not 
due  to  any  inattention  to  ritual,  but  to  the  disre- 
gard of  the  plainest  duties  of  justice  and  human- 
ity. They  had  not  only  the  law  written  on  the 
heart,  and  the  law  engraved  on  the  two  tables  of 
stone,  but  the  express  and  reiterated  injunctions 
of  the  Prophets  against  all  injustice  and  oppres- 
sion ;  and  yet  they  utterly  refused  to  hear.  Their 
children  now  were  in  danger  of  falling  into  just 
the  same  error.  It  was  true  then,  as  it  is  now, 
that  no  religion  is  worth  anything  which  does  not 
regulate  the  life  and  secure  the  discharge  of  social 
and  relative  duties.  Morality  is  certainly  not  piety, 
but  the  piety  which  does  not  include  morality  is  a 
mere  delusion.     It  mocks  God  and  insults  man. 

3.  God  is  represented  in  Scripture  as  the  guard- 
ian of  the  weak.  Widows  and  orphans,  the 
strangers  and  the  poor,  they  who  are  especially 
exposed  to  ill  treatment,  are  placed  under  his 
powerful  protection.  To  them  He  makes  the  most 
precious  promises,  while  upon  their  oppressors  He 
denounces  the  heaviest  woes.  This  feature  char- 
acterizes the  Mosaic  legislation,  so  often  thought- 
lessly denounced  as  harsh ;  it  is  renewed  in  the 
older  Prophets  before  the  Captivity,  and  now  reap- 
pears again  in  the  closyig  accents  of  Old  Testa- 
ment inspiration  (cf.  also  Mai.  iii.  5).  In  respect 
to  these  classes,  the  later  dispensation  is  no  ad- 
vance upon  the  older,  exce])t  in  the  higher  sanc- 
tion contained  in  the  words  and  works  of  God 
manifest  in  the  flesh.  One  of  the  surest  tests  of 
an  intelligent  Christianity  as  well  as  of  a  high 
civilization,  is  found  in  the  provision  made  and 
maintained  for  those  who  so  often  are  the  victims 
either  of  cruel  neglect,  or,  alas,  willful  oppression  ! 
Men  need  to  be  continually  reminded  that  such 
provision  is  a  dictate  not  merely  of  reason  and  hu- 
manity, but  of  Him  who  hns  proclaimed  Himself 
the  judge  of  the  widow  and  the  helper  of  the  fa- 
therless, who  preserveth  the  stranger,  and  who 
hath  chosen  the  poor  of  this  world  to  be  the  heirs 
of  his  kingdom  (Ps.  x.  14  ;  Ixviii.  5 ;  cxlvi.  9  ;  Jas. 
ii.  5). 

4.  The  most  terrible  penalties  are  penalties  in 
kind.  Such  as  the  drunkard  pays  when  at  last  he 
feels  himself  the  slave  of  a  vicious  habit  which  he 
knows  is  ruining  body  and  soul,  and  yet  he  is  un- 
able to  throw  off;  or  the  licentious  man  when  de- 
sire survives  the  power  of  gratification,  and  he  is 
tortured  by  appetites  for  which  exhausted  nature 
has  no  provision.  Similar  is  it  in  matters  of  relig- 
ion. God  calls  and  men  refuse  to  hear.  From 
the  days  of  Enoch  down  this  has  been  a  common 
experience.  Sometimes  a  judgment  falls  or  wrath 
is  executed  speedily.  But  ordinarily  the  retribu- 
tion comes  in  the  line  of  the  sin.  Men  awake  at 
last  to  their  true  situation,  and  become  alarmed. 
Then  the  same  process  begins  as  before,  with  the 
parties  reversed.  Men  call,  but  they  are  not  heard 
They  seek,  but  do  not  find.  They  knock,  but  no 
door  is  opened.  There  is  a  painful  reminder  of 
the  words  of  the  wise  man  :  "  Tliey  shall  eat  of 
the  fruit  of  their  own  way  and  be  filled  with  tkeu 
own  devices"  (Prov.  i.  31). 


CHAPTER   Vm.  1-23. 


bi 


"  Btkfe  we  not  heard  tlie  bridegroom  is  so  sweet, 

Oh,  let  us  in,  though  late,  to  kiss  his  feet !  " 
"  No,  DO,  too  late  !  ye  caonot  enter  now." 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Wordsworth  :  Zechariah's  typical  and  pro- 
phetical visions  are  succeeded  by  ))ractical  instruc- 
tions. All  theological  mysteries  are  consummated 
in  holiness  and  love.  The  Jews  did  well  to  fast, 
but  not  to  boast  of  their  fasting'  and  self-mortiti- 
cation.  Here  is  a  symptom  of  that  Pharisaical 
reliance  upon  outward  works  of  religion,  which 
reached  its  height  in  our  Lord's  age  (Matt.  vi.  16), 
and  became  almost  as  detrimental  to  vital  piety  as 
idolatry  had  been  in  the  age  before  the  Captivity. 
Your  fasting  was  not  produced  by  a  deep  sense  of 
shame  and  remorse  for  sin,  as  hateful  to  me  and 
as  the  cause  of  your  punishment  from  me.  It  was 
not  a  fast  of  sorrow  lor  my  offended  majesty,  but 
for  your  own  punishment.  It  was  not  a  God-ward 
sorrow,  but  a  world-ward  sorrow  (2  Cor.  vii.  10). 

TiLLOTSON  :  A  truly  religious  fast  consists  in 
(1.)  The  afflicting  of  our  bodies  by  a  strict  absti- 
nence that  so  they  may  be  fit  instruments  to  pro- 
mote the  grief  of  our  minds.  (2.)  In  the  humble 
confession  of  our  sins  to  God.     (3.)  In  an  earnest 


deprecation  of  God's  displeasure.  (4.)  In  inter- 
cession for  such  spiritual  and  temporal  blessings 
upon  ourselves  and  others  as  are  needful.  (5.)  Is 
alms  and  charity  to  the  poor.  (6.)  In  the  actua' 
reformation  of  our  lives. 

Moore  :  All  stated  fasts  tend  to  degenerate  into 
superstition,  unless  there  is  some  strong  counter- 
acting agency.  The  original  reference  to  God  is 
lost  in  the  mere  outward  act.  This  is  the  case 
with  Popish  observances  of  the  present  day.  Self- 
ishness is  the  bane  of  all  true  piety,  as  godliness 
is  its  essence.  Warnings  of  punishment  when  no 
signs  of  it  are  seen,  are  often  disregarded.  They 
who  cherish  hard  hearts  must  expect  hard  treat- 
ment. The  harder  the  stone,  the  harder  will  be 
the  blow  of  the  hammer  to  break  it.  They  who 
will  not  bear  the  burden  of  obedience,  must  bear 
the  burden  of  punishment. 

Hengstenberg  :  The  Jews'  estimate  of  the 
value  of  fasting.  A  custom  which  had  no  mean- 
ing, except  as  the  outward  manifestation  of  a  peni- 
tent state  of  heart,  was  regarded  as  having  worth 
in  itself,  as  an  opus  operatum.  It  was  supposed 
that  merit  was  thereby  acquired ;  and  surprise  and 
discontent  were  expressed  that  God  had  not  yel 
acknowledged  and  rewarded  the  service  of  so  many 
years. 


2.  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  OBEDIENCE.    THE  QUESTION  ANSWERED. 

A.    Cfenercd  Promises  and  Precepts  (vers.  1-17).     B.    Fasts  shall  become  FetHvah^  anti 

whole  Nations  be  added  to  the  Jews  (vers.  18-23). 

Chapter  VIII. 


1  And  the  word  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  came  to  me,^  saying, 

2  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

I  am  jealous  ^  for  Zion  with  great  jealousy, 
And  with  great  fury  I  am  jealous  for  her. 

3  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  I  am  returned  to  Zion, 
And  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem ; 
And  Jerusalem  shall  be  called  the  city  of  truth,^ 

And  the  mountain  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  the  holy  mountain. 

4  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

Yet  shall  there  sit*  old  men  and  old  women  in  the  streets  of  Jemsaleoif 
Each  having  his  staff  in  his  hand  for  very  age ; " 

5  And  the  streets  of  the  city  shall  be  full  of  boys  and  girls, 
Playing  in  the  streets. 

6  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

Because  it  wUl  be  marvelous  in  the  eyes  of  the  remnant  of  this  nation  in  thoae 

_  days, 
Shall  it  be  marvelous  in  my  eyes  also  ?  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

7  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

Behold,  I  save  my  people  from  the  land  of  the  rising, 

And  from  the  land  of  the  setting  of  the  sun ; 
6  And  I  will  bring  them,  and  they  shall  dwell  in  the  midst  of  JemsalesDy 

And  they  shall  be  my  people  and  I  will  be  their  Grod, 

In  truth  and  in  righteousness. 
9       Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts 

liCt  your  hands  be  strong, 

Ye  who  hear  in  these  days  these  words, 


:;0  ZF.CHARIAII. 


From  the  moutli  of  the  prophets  who  spake' 

On  tlie  day  the  house  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  temple,* 

Was  founded,  that  it  might  be  built. 

10  For  before  those  days  there  was  no  wages  for  a  man 
And  no  wages  for  a  beast," 

And  no  peace  to  him  that  went  out  or  came  in,  because  of  the  oppressor ; 
And  I  set'"  all  men,  each  against  his  neighbor. 

1 1  Ikit  now  not  as  in  the  former  days  am  I 

To  the  remnant  of  this  people,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 

12  For"  there  shall  be  a  seed  of  peace, 
The  vine  shall  yield  its  fruit, 

And  tlie  earth  shall  yield  its  produce, 
And  the  heavens  shall  give  their  dew, 
And  I  will  cause  the  remnant  of  this  people  to  inherit  all  these. 

13  And  it  shall  be,  that  as  ye  were  a  curse  among  the  nations, 

0  house  of  Judah  and  house  of  Israel, 

So  will  I  save  you  and  ye  shall  be  a  blessing ; 
Fear  not,  let  your  hands  be  strong. 

14  For  thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

As  I.  thought  to  do  evil  '^  to  you  when  your  fathers  provoked  me, 
Saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  I  repented  not ; 

15  So  have  I  thought  again  '''  in  these  days 

To  do  good  to  Jerusalem  and  to  the  house  of  Judah, 
Fear  ye  not. 

16  These  are  the  words  which  ye  are  to  do  ; 
Speak  truth,  each  to  his  neighbor : 

Truth  and  judgment  of  peace  judge  ye  "  in  your  gates. 

17  And  let  none  of  you  devise  the  evil  of  his  neighbor  in  your  hearts, 
And  love  not  an  oath  of  falsehood ; 

For  all  these  ^''  are  what  I  hate,  saith  Jehovah. 

18-19  And  the  word  of  Jehovah  came  to  me,  saying,  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
The  fast  of  the  fourth  (month),  and  the  fast  of  the  fifth,  and  the  fast  of  the  seventh, 
and  the  fast  of  the  tenth,  shall  become  pleasure  and  joy  to  the  house  of  Judah 
and  cheerful  feasts  ;  but  love  ye  truth  '^  and  peace. 

20  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

It  shall  yet  ^'  be  that  peoples  '^  will  come. 
And  the  inhabitants  of  many  cities  ; 

21  And  the  inhabitants  of  one  (city)  shall  go  to  another,  saying, 
Let  us  go  speedily  to  entreat  Jehovah  '^ 

And  to  seek  Jehovali  of  Hosts. 

1  will  go  also. 

i'2  And  many  peoples  and  strong  nations  shall  come 

To  seek  Jehovah  of  Hosts  in  Jerusalem, 

And  to  entreat  Jehovah. 
23       Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

In  those  days  it  shall  come  to  pass 

That  ten  men  of  all  languages  of  the  nations  shall  take  hold ; 

Even  shall  take  hold  of  the  skirt  of  a  .Jew, 

Saying,  we  will  go  with  you, 

For  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with  you. 


TEXTDAL   AND  UR.\MMAT1CAL. 


>^S.' 


1  Ver.  1.  —  The  word  ^     S   wanting  in  the  Masoretic   text,  is  found  in   numerous  MSS   and  several  editioiiB,  and  It 
lapported  by  the  Syriac  and  Targum. 

2  Ver.  2.  —  "I  am  jealous,"  not  as  E.  V.  -   I  was.  '     The  Hebrew  tense  here  seems   to  be  <=  the  Greek  perfe:t,  Id  Um 
leoBe  "  I  have  been  and  still  am.'" 

8  Ver.  8.  —  The  city  of  truth,  not  a  city  as  K.  V..  Imt  due  piei-iiiinent  in  this  respect. 


CHAPTER  VIII.  1-23. 


6] 


i  Ver.  4.  —  1307^.  The  literal  meaning  sit  is  both  more  accurate  and  more  expressive  than  the  derived  sense  ilietU 
kdopted  in  the  E.  V.  from  the  Vulg^te. 

i  Ver.  4.  —  ■'  Very  age."     This  archaism  is  better  than  the  literal  "  abundance  of  days  "  in  margin  of  E.  V. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  Dnn,  according  to  u.«age,  must  be  rendered  thosf.  So  Dr.  Riggs  (Sus:sested  Emendations),  who  how- 
STer  is  not  happy  in  suggesting  the  marginal  rendering  of  the  E.  V.  as  preferable  to  the  textual,  in  the  case  of  the  vert 
in  this  clause  The  literal  sense  of  H 72"*  is  to  be  singled  out,  distins:uished,  wonderful,  and  the  word  here  expressM 
something  no:  only  difficult,  but  so  difficult  as  to  be  marvelous  or  incredible. 

7  Ver.  9.  —  ~1tt"'S   requires  a  verb  to  be  supplied.     Some  suggest  ^S12,  but   ?1'^2"1    seems  better. 

8  Ver.  9.  —  The  grammatical  construction  here  is  awkward,  yet  better  than  E.  V.,  which  seems  to  imply  a  differeno* 
Between  the  house  of  Jehovah  and  the  temple. 

9  Ver.  10.  —  The  feminine  suffix  in  n33^S    refers  to  the  nearer  preceding  noun. 

10  Ver.  10 —  In  H  vtt7S"T_  the  vav  convers.  takes  Pattach  in  conformity  to  the  compound  Sheva  wliich  foUowi 
(Green  H-  G.,  99  6). 

11  Ver   12.  —  Keil  renders  ^3   but,  but  the  usual  signification  for  is  as  suitable  and  idiomatic. 

12  Ver.  14.  —  27"inv  is  in  contrast  with  S'^^'^H/  in  ver.  15,  and  they  should  be  so  rendered  —  to  do  evil  and  tg 
do  good  ;  whereas  E   V.  gives  the  former  as  punish,  and  Henderson  afflict 

18  Ver.  15.  —  ''in^tt?  =  again.     See  on  v.  1,  vi.  1. 

14  Ver.  16.  —  J11225C  —  l35tt7J2.  To  render  this  "  Execute  judgment  "  (B.  V.,  Henderson),  is  misleading,  for  tbt 
words  express  the  pronouncing,  not  the  executing  of  judgment.  Noyes  renders,  "  Judge  according  to  tratli,  and  for 
peace,"  etc. 

15  Ver.  17-  —  n  vN'^S'HS   is  to  be  taken  as  an  acctts.  absol. 

16  Ver.  19.  —  The  E.  V.  renders  the  last  clause,  "  love  the  truth  ;  "  and  so  the  GenoTan.  But  both  omit  the  artioli 
before  "  peace,"  although  the  Hebrew  has  it  before  each  noun. 

17  Ver.  20.  —  After  ^3?   we  must  supply  n^'iT'. 

18  Ver.  20.  —  D^ffil?  =  peoples.  This  plural,  found  twice  in  E.  V.  (Rev.  x.  11,  xyii.  16),  should  hare  been  used  hei*, 
and  in  x.  9,  xii.  2,  3,  4  ,6,  xiv.  12,  and  often  elsewhere,  to  avoid  ambiguity. 

19  Ver.  21.  —  'ni bnb.     See  on  vU.  2. 


EXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  the  Prophet  had  re- 
buked the  people  for  their  formalism,  and  set  forth 
the  dreadful  consequences  of  disobedience.  Now 
ne  turns  to  the  other  side  of  the  subject  and  paints 
an  exquisite  picture  of  the  results  of  conformity 
to  the  Divine  will.  Vers.  1-3.  The  restoration 
of  purity.  — Vers.  4-6.  Wonderful  peace  and  pros- 
perity. —  Vers.  7,  8.  Rescue  of  all  captives  from 
every  quarter.  —  Vers.  9-13.  General  fertility  in 
place  of  the  previous  drou<;ht  and  want.  —  Vers. 
14,  J  5.  Future  execution  of  promises  as  sure  as 
past  execution  of  threats.  —  Vers.  16,  17.  Moral 
conditions  of  prosperity. — Vers.  18,  19.  Fasts 
shall  become  festivals.  —  Vers.  20-23.  Lively  state- 
ment of  the  extension  of  God's  kingdom. 

The  chapter  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  the 
phrase,  "  And  the  word  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  came 
to  me  "  (ver.  1  and  ver.  18).  Each  of  these  parts 
is  again  divided  into  separate  utterances  by  the  re- 
curring formula,  "  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts." 
The  first  contains  seven  of  these  segments  (vers. 
2,  3,  4,  6,  7,  9,  14) ;  the  .second  has  but  three  (vers. 
19,  20,  23).  Jerome  justly  explains  these  reiter- 
ated references  to  the  Almighty  as  meaning,  "  Do 
not  consider  these  words  to  be  my  own,  and  there- 
fore disbelieve  them  as  coming  from  a  man  ;  they 
are  the  promises  of  God." 

(a.)  General  Promises  and  Precepts, {\ers.  1-17). 
' — ver.  1.  And  the  woi:d  of  Jehovah,  etc.  See 
the  same  formula,  ante  i.  7,  iv.  8. 

Ver.  2.  I  am  jealous  ....  for  her.  For  the 
usage  and  the  sense,  see  on  i.  14.  Both  passages 
Bpeak  of  wrath,  but  there  the  object  of  the  wrath 
is  stated  (the  nations),  here,  the  cause  (Zion).  This 
rehement  affection  manifests  itself  in  the  ways  de- 
icribed  in  the  next  verse. 


Ver.  3.  I  am  returned  to  Zion.  He  had  for- 
saken his  dwelling-place  when  Jerusalem  was  given 
up  to  her  foes,  and  Ezekiel  had  seen  in  vision  the 
glory  of  Jehovah  departing  (xi.  23).  Now  he 
would  return,  and  in  consequence,  the  city  would 
be  called  the  city  of  truth,  i.  e.,  where  truth  is 
found,  and  Moriah  the  holy  mountain;  which 
does  not  mean  that  they  would  actually  bear  these 
names,  but  that  they  would  deserve  them  as  ex- 
pressing their  real  character.  The  strict  fulfill- 
ment of  this  promise  must  be  referred  to  the  Mes- 
sianic period. 

Vers.  4,  5.  Yet  shall  there  sit,  etc.  This  beau- 
tiful picture  represents  the  extremes  of  life  as  dwell- 
ing in  all  security  and  happiness  in  the  midst  of 
Jerusalem.  Long  life  and  a  multitude  of  children 
were  ordinary  theocratic  blessings  (Ex.  xx.  12  ; 
Deut.  vii.  13,  14;  Ps.  cxxviii.  3-5),  and  this  prom- 
ise must  in  part  at  least  relate  to  the  period  between 
Zerubbabel  and  Christ.  There  is  a  curious  verbal 
coincidence  in  the  words  of  the  author  of  1  Mac- 
cabees (xiv.  9),  describing  the  peaceful  prosperity 
wliich  prevailed  in  Judaea  under  the  rule  of  Simon  ; 
"  The  ancient  men  sat  all  in  the  streets,  commun- 
ing together  of  good  things,  and  the  young  men 
put  on  glorious  and  warlike  apparel."  But  the 
full  realization  has  been  seen  only  under  a  later 
economy. 

Ver.  6.  Because  it  will  be  marvelous,  etc. 
The  Lord  confirms  their  faith  in  his  words  by  re- 
minding them  that  what  seemed  incredible  to  them 
was  not  therefore  incredible  to  Jehovah.  The  com- 
mon explanation  of  the  second  clause,  supposes 

C3  to  stand  for  Q^H,  as  in  1  Sam.  xxii.  8,  and 
the  question  to  imply  a  negative  answer.  This  is 
simple  and  pertinent,  especially  if  we,  like  the  E. 

v.,  render  ^\]'C-   these,  instead  of  those,  which  is 


&J, 


ZECHARIAH. 


Its  customary  sense  as  denotinfj  the  farther  demon- 
Btrative.  But  even  according  to  the  rendering,  in 
those  days,  i.  e.,  when  this  sliall  come  to  pass, 
the  sense  is  better  than  with  Koliler  to  make  the 
second  clause  an  alfirmation,  and  explain  the  pas- 
sage as  saying  that  it  would  be  right  for  the  peo- 
ple to  regard  it  as  marvelous,  for  it  would  appear 
such  even  to  Jehovah  himself.  Remnant  of  this 
nation.     See  Haggai  i.  12-14. 

Vers.  7,  8.  Behold  I  save  my  people  .... 
righteousness.  .Tehovah  will  rescue  his  people 
from  all  lands  as  tar  as  the  sun  shines,  install  them 
again  in  Jerusalem  and  renew  the  old  covenant  re- 
lation,—  He  their  God  and  they  his  people  (xiii. 
9)  ;  and  this,  in  the  exercise  on  both  sides  of 
truth  and  righteousness  (Hos.  ii.  21,  22).  Hen- 
derson, Koiiler,  Pressel,  et  al.,  refer  this  to  the  res- 
toration of  the  Jews  still  scattered  abroad,  but  the 
words  are  too  large  to  admit  of  so  narrow  a  re- 
striction, nor  is  there  any  historical  evidence  of 
any  such  general  retiirn  of  the  diaspora  to  Pales- 
tine. Jerusalem  must  stand  here  as  elsewhere  for 
the  Messianic  kingdom.  On  the  basis  of  these 
promises,  Zechariah  proceeds  to  encourage  the  peo- 
ple. 

Ver.  9.  Let  your  hands,  etc.  To  have  the 
hands  strong  =  to  be  of  good  courage  (Judg.  vii. 
11  ;  2  Sam.  xvi.  21).  A  reason  for  this  courage 
is  shown  in  the  description  of  those  to  wiiom  it  is 
addressed.  They  are  those  who  hear  what  the 
later  Prophets  say,  e.  g.,  in  vers.  2-8  of  this  chap- 
ter. These  later  Prophets  (Haggai  and  Zechariah) 
had  appeared  at  the  time  when  the  foundation  of 
the  temple  was  laid,  and  the  good  effects  of  their 
activity  already  to  be  seen  were  a  pledge  of  what 
should  follow.     It  is  unnecessary  with   Hitzig  to 

conceive  CV2  as  put  for  d"*^}  but  he  is  happy 
in  the  suggestion  that  the  last  words  of  the  verse 
that  it  might  be  built,  are  intended  to  emphasize 
the  thought  that  this  second  founding  of  the  tem- 
ple (Hag.  ii.  15-18),  unlike  the  first  (Ezra  iii.  10), 
should  issue  in  the  completion  of  the  building. 

Vers.  10-12  present  the  contrast  between  the 
present  and  the  former  times. 

Ver.  10.  Before  those  days,  namely,  in  which 
work  on  the  temple  was  resumed.  No  wages. 
The  labor  of  man  and  beast  yielded  so  little  result 
that  it  might  be  said  to  be  none.  There  was  also 
an  entire  absence  of  internal  quiet  to  him  that 
went  out  or  came  in,  i.  e.,  men  engaged  in  their 

ordinary  occupations,  ''^^'^j  rendered  by  the  an- 
cient versions  as  an  abstract  noun,  is  made  con- 
crete by  nearly  all  the  moderns.  That  this  does 
not  refer  wholly  to  a  heathen  oppressor  is  made 
plain  by  the  following  clause. 

Ver.  11.  But  now  makes  vivid  the  contrast 
with  the  opening  words  of  the  preceding  verse. 

Ver.  12.  For  there  shall  be  ...  .  peace. 
This  clause  is  variously  construed.  Some  say, 
"  the  seed  shall  be  secure  "  (Targum,  Peshito),  or 
"prosperous"  (E.  V.,  Henderson),  which  is  un- 

f;ramniatical.  Others,  "  the  seed  of  peace,  name- 
y,  the  vine,  shall,"  etc.  (Keil,  Kohler),  and  they 
say  that  the  vine  is  thus  called  because  it  can  be 
produced  only  in  peaceful  times  ;  but  is  not  war 

{'ust  as  destructive  to  any  other  fruit  of  the  earth? 
prefer  the  view  of  the  Vulgate  and  Pressel  given 
above,  a  general  statement  of  productiveness  of 
which  the  following  clauses  give  the  details.  "  Fu- 
ture abundance  will  compensate  for  the  drought 
and  scarcity  of  the  past"  (Jerome). 

Ver.  1.3  sums  up  all   the  blessings  in  a  single 
utterance.     As  ye  were  a  curse,  etc.     This  does 


not  mean  that  they  wc  uld  become  a  source  of  bless- 
ing to  the  nations  (a  view  which  Pressel  urges  with 
great  zeal,  but  manifestly  without  ground),  but  an 
example  of  blessedness,  and  therefore  they  would 
be  employed  in  a  formula  of  benediction,  just  aa 
they  had  been  used  for  an  imjjrecatorv  formula 
(cf.  Gen.  xlviii.  20  ;  Jer.  xxix.  22).  —  Israel.  Sea 
on  p.  30  a  the  remark  on  a  similar  occurrence  of 
this  name  in  i.  19.  It  is  very  significant.  "  The 
idea  that  the  ten  tribes  still  exist  somewhere  in  the 
world,  and  are  still  to  be  restored  in  their  tribal 
state,  has  arisen  from  a  misconstruction  of  those 
prophecies  which  refer  to  the  return  from  Baby- 
lon "  (Henderson). 

Vers.  14-17.  The  two  former  of  these  verses 
confirm  the  foregoing  promise,  and  the  two  latter 
indicate  a  condition  of  its  performance. 

Ver  14.  And  I  repented  not.  Just  as  the 
threatening  did  not  fail  of  its  execution,  so  you 
may  be  sure  the  promise  will  not. 

Vers.  16,  17.    These  are  the  words.     There  is 

no  need  of  giving  to  0^7?^'!'  the  doubtful  mean- 
ing things  (E.  V.,  Henderson),  since  the  ordinary 
sense  u;orc?s  is  entirely  suitable.  These  "words 
are,  just  as  above  in  vii.  9,  10,  first  positive  (ver. 
16),  then  negative  (ver.  17).  Judgment  of  peace 
is  such  judgment  as  promotes  peace,  but  this  is  al- 
ways founded  upon  truth.  Your  gates,  as  the 
places  where  justice  was  usually  administered. 
The  first  clause  of  ver.  17  is  curiously  reversed 
in  meaning  by  Henderson  :  "  think  not  in  your 
hearts  of  the  injury  which  one  hath  done  to  an- 
other," —  a  sense  which  the  Hebrew  cannot  have. 
The  last  clause  is  very  emphatic  in  the  original, 
lit.,  "  For  as  to  all  these  things,  they  are  what  I 
hate." 

b.  Fasts  shall  become  Festivals,  and  the  Nations 
attracted  (vers.  18-23).  — Ver.  18.  Here  begins  the 
second  word  of  Jehovah.     See  ver.  1. 

Ver.  19.  The  fast  of  the  fourth  month,  etc. 
For  the  fasts  of  the  fifth  month  and  the  seventh, 
see  on  vii.  3-5.  The  fast  of  the  fourth  month  was 
on  account  of  the  taking  of  Jerusalem  (Jer.  xxxix. 
2)  ;  that  of  the  tenth  was  in  commemoration  of 
the  commencement  of  the  siege  (Jer.  Iii.  4).  All 
these  fasts  were  to  be  turned  into  festivals  of  joy. 
Not,  as  Grotius  says,  that  the  observance  should 
be  retained  only  with  a  change  of  feeling  and  pur- 
pose ;  but  that  the  general  condition  should  be  so 
happy  and  prosperous  as  to  render  fasting  unsuit- 
able. The  last  clause  reminds  them  of  the  condi- 
tion upon  which  these  promises  were  suspended. 

Ver.  20.  Yet  shall  it  be  that,  etc.  The  posi- 
tion of  yet  renders  it  very  emphatic,  as  if  to  say, 
Notwithstanding  all  past  desolations,  this  shall 
surely  come  to  pass.  Peoples,  that  is  to  say,  not 
individuals  merely,  but  entire  nations.  The  con- 
nection, apparently  dropped  at  the  end  of  this 
verse,  to  allow  the  mention  of  the  reciprocal  sum- 
mons in  the  next  verse,  is  resumed  with  the  same 

(1S3^)  in  ver.  22. 

Ver.  21.  And  the  inhabitants  of  one  city,  etc. 
The  mutual  appeal  stated  here  greatly  enlivens 
the  representation.  The  emphatic  infinitive  is  very 
well  expressed  in  the  E.  V..  Let  us  go  speedily, 
although  Prof.  Cowles  prefers  earnestly.  The  last 
clause,  I  will  go  also,  is  the  prompt  response  ot 
each  of  the  parties  addressed. 

Ver.  22.  And  many  peoples,  etc.  This  vers« 
takes  up  and  completes  the  statement  begun  in 
verse  20,  by  reciting  the  object  of  the  journey 
namely,  the  worship  of  Jehovah. 

Ver.  23.    Thus   sai<^4i  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  tte 


CHAPTER   VIII.  l--2:i. 


63 


An  important  addition.  Not  only  will  the  heathen 
go  in  streams  to  Jerusalem  to  worship  Jehovah, 
but  they  will  seek  a  close  and  intimate  union  with 

the  Jews  as  a  nation.  ~1^^,  which  Henderson 
says  is  redundant,  is  rather  emphatic,  and  the 
clause  is  to  be  construed  as  the  similar  one  at  the 
commencement  of  ver.  20.  Ten  men,  a  definite 
number  for  an  indefinite  (Gen.  xxxi.  7).  Em-.h  of 
these  ten  representative  men  stands  for  a  distinct 
nation,  since  they  each  speak  a  different  languajie, 
as  appears  from  the  added  clause,  of  all  languages 
of  the  nations,  where  the  sinj^ularity  of  the  ex- 
pression seems  desiy;ned  to  emphasize  this  diver- 
sity. •Ip'^ynnT  is  simply  a  resumption  of  the  same 
verb  in  the  former  clause.  We  wiU  go  with  you, 
not  merely  to  th<!  house  of  God  (Hitzis),  but  in 
all  other  ways  (  iuth  i.  16).  On  God  is  with 
you,  cf  2  Chron  xv.  9.  Henderson  explains  all 
this  as  fulfilled  in  the  number  of  proselytes  made  to 
Judaism  after  the  restoration.  But  surely  neither 
"  many  peoples  "  nor  "strong  nations"  ever  in  a 
body  joined  themselves  to  the  covenant  people. 
He  says  that  "  Jerusalem  "  cannot  be  understood 
otherwise  than  literally.  But  most  persons  will 
think  it  cannot  be  understood  in  that  way  at  all, 
for  how  could  such  a  city  contain  nations  1  "  That 
these  are  said  to  come  to  Jerusalem  is  due  to 
the  necessary  modes  of  Jewish  thought.  That 
was  the  only  way  in  which  the  Jews  before  Christ 
could  concdve  of  real  conversions,  —  the  only  lan- 
guage descriptive  of  conversion  which  they  could 
understand.  They  had  not  yet  reached  the  idea 
that  God  can  be  worshipped  acceptably  and  spirit- 
ually just  as  well  anywhere  else  as  at  Jerusalem. 
Hence  those  glorious  conversions  of  Gentile  na- 
tions which  are  to  take  place  far  down  in  the  ages 
of  the  Gospel  dispensation,  if  foretold  at  all  by 
Jewish  prophets  and  for  Jewish  readers,  must  be 
presented  in  thoroughly  Jewish  language  and  in 
harmony  with  Jewish  conceptions.  So  we  ought 
to  expect  to  find  it  throughout  the  Old  Testament 
Prophets,  and  so  we  do  find  it  "  (Cowles). 

THEOLOGICAL  AND  MOBAL. 

1.  The  beginning  and  the  indispensable  condi- 
d.»n  of  all  true  prosperity  is  the  presence  of  God. 
Hence  the  very  first  article  in  the  prophet's  state- 
ment of  the  happy  prospects  of  his  countrymen  is 
Jehovah's  assurance,  "  I  am  returned  to  Zion." 
His  absence,  strikingly  depicted  in  the  vision  in 
which  Ezekiel  saw  the  glory  of  the  Lord  depart 
from  the  threshold  of  the  sanctuary,  had  caused 
all  the  woes  of  Israel,  —  invasion,  conquest,  exile, 
bondage.  His  return  was  the  only  sure  pledge  of 
permanent  restoration.  This,  according  to  the  46th 
Psalm,  is  the  river  the  streams  whereof  make  glad 
the  city  of  God  ;  "  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  she 
shall  not  be  moved."  God's  presence  in  heaven 
makes  all  its  bliss,  and  his  presence  on  earth  makes 
the  nearest  approach  to  that  bliss.  But  as  He  is  a 
God  of  truth  and  holiness,  they  who  enjoy  his  pres- 
ence must  partake  of  both.  Wickedness  cannot 
dwell  with  Him.  As  Calvin  says,  "  He  is  never 
idle  while  He  dwells  in  his  people,  for  He  cleanses 
away  every  kind  of  impurity  that  the  place  where 
He  is  may  be  holy."  The  proof  of  his  presence, 
therefore,  is  not  any  partial,  outward,  or  transient 
reform,  but  the  growth  and  prevalence  of  holiness 
rounded  on  truth,  &<n6ry]Ti  ttjs  a,\-r\Q(ias,  Eph.  iv.  24. 

2.  "  Longevity  and  a  numerous  offspring  were 
specially  promised  under  the  old  dispensation,"  but 
iowhere  is  that  promi.se  so  beautifully  set  forth  as 


in  the  scene  which  Zechariah  calls  up,  —  the  oW 
man  leaning  upon  Ids  staff,  and  groups  of  happj 
children  playing  in  the  streets.  No  pestilence  stalkl 
over  the  land,  no  war  decimates  the  population,  no 
famine  wastes  fiesh  and  strength.  The  extremes 
of  human  life  are  happy,  each  in  its  appropriate 
way,  and  all  that  lie  between  are  in  the  same  peace- 
ful condition.  The  classes  which  are  most  exposed 
and  most  defenseless  being  in  complete  and  con- 
scious security,  the  others  in  the  prime  and  vigor 
of  their  days  must  needs  be  exempt  from  fear  and 
anxiety.  AH  this  was  the  more  impressive  to  the 
prophet's  contemporaries  because  of  its  contrast 
with  the  days  when  death  came  up  into  the  win- 
dows and  cut  off  the  children  from  the  streets,  — 
when  the  husband  was  taken  with  the  wife,  the 
aged  with  him  that  was  full  of  days  (Jer.  ix.  21, 
vi.  11).  There  is  no  need  of  spiritualizing  the  de- 
scription. It  serves  well  in  its  literal  sense  to  ex- 
press what  is  realized  already  under  the  beneficent 
reign  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  and  will  become  uni- 
j  versal  and  abiding  when  his  kingdom  is  estab- 
lished over  the  earth. 

I  3.  The  chronic  sin  of  human  nature  is  unbelief, 
I  Men  stagger  at  the  greatness  of  the  divine  prom» 
j  ises.  This  is  shown  not  only  by  the  worldly,  of 
I  whom  the  standing  pattern  is  that  lord  in  the 
court  of  Jehoram,  who,  when  Elisha  predicted  in 
the  midst  of  famine  a  speedy  abundance  of  sup 
plies,  exclaimed,  If  the  Lord  would  make  windows 
in  heaven,  might  this  thing  be  ?  (2  Kings  vii.  2) ; 
but  even  by  the  godly,  as  illustrated  in  the  case  of 
Moses,  who,  when  God  engaged  to  sate  Israel  with 
flesh  for  a  whole  month  in  the  wilderness,  incred« 
ulously  reminded  Him  that  there  were  600,000 
footmen,  plainly  implying  that  the  thing  was  im- 
possible. And  yet  Moses  had  seen  all  the  wonders 
wrought  in  Egypt.  In  like  manner  the  restored 
exiles  regarded  the  glowing  statements  of  Zech 
ariah.  They  refused  to  accept  them,  and  so  lost 
the  comfort  and  stimulus  they  would  otherwise 
have  enjoyed.  The  prophet  puts  his  finger  upon 
the  cause  of  this  irrational  unbelief,  when  he  sug- 
gests that  they  judged  God  by  themselves,  that 
they  measured  his  power  by  their  own  understand- 
ing. It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  raise  our  thoughts 
above  the  world,  to  bid  adieu  to  human  standards 
of  probability,  and  to  keep  in  mind  the  infinite 
excellence  of  the  Most  High.  There  are  very 
many  things  of  which  one  can  only  repeat  what 
the  Master  said  to  his  disciples,  —  "  With  men  this 
is  impossible,  but  with  God  all  things  are  possi- 
ble "  (Matt.  xix.  26).  Faith  in  the  divine  omnip- 
otence is  easy  so  long  as  only  hypothetical  cases 
are  concerned  ;  but  when  a  question  of  practical 
duty  is  involved,  and  our  faith  requires  us  to  run 
counter  to  all  the  maxims  of  worldly  wisdom,  it  is 
another  matter.  It  is  this  feature  which  gave  such 
a  heroic  aspect  to  the  course  of  Abraham  when 
"  against  hope  he  believed  in  hope,"  and  for  scores 
of  years  persevered  in  the  expectation  of  an  event 
which  was  naturally  quite  impossible,  just  because 
he  was  "  fully  persuaded  that  what  God  had  prom- 
ised He  was  also  able  to  perform  "  (Rom.  iv.  21), 
It  is  needful  always  to  remember  that  God's 
thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  as 
our  ways,  but  as  high  above  them  as  the  heavens 
are  high  above  the  earth.  Faith,  therefore,  always 
has  abundant  warrant.  The  trouble  is  that  so 
many,  like  Thomas,  want  to  see  first,  and  then  be- 
lieve. But  the  special,  peculiar  blessing  is  for 
those  who,  without  seeing,  believe  what  God  says, 
just  because  He  says  it. 

4.  The  argument  a  fortiori  is  proverbially  strong, 
and  as  it  is  here  presented  by  the  propiidt,  offere 


54 


ZECHARIAli. 


j;;reat  cncourapfenient  to  weak  faith.  God  reminds 
Israel  that  the  wrath  incurred  by  their  fathers  had 
been  actually  visited  upon  them,  no  repentance  on 
God's  part  interposing  to  avert  the  blow.  Even  so 
should  it  be  with  his  purposes  of  mercy  ;  and  thus, 
the  very  sorrows  of  tlio  past  became  ])ledges  for  the 
hopes  of  the  future.  The  Most  High  does  not  will- 
ingly afflict,  He  has  no  ])leasurc  in  the  death  of 
him  that  dieth  ;  yet  when  the  limit  of  forbearance 
is  reached.  He  executes  the  fierceness  of  his  anger, 
and  his  threatenitigs  are  verilied  to  the  letter. 
Every  Jew  saw  this  in  the  deep  furrows  the  Chal- 
di«an  conquest  had  imprinted  on  his  native  land. 
But  if  Jehovah  carried  out  his  purposes  so  eft'ec- 
tively  in  the  strange  work  of  judgment,  how  much 
more  would  He  in  the  kind,  congenial  work  of 
beneticence  and  blessing?  If  the  word  of  justice 
had  such  a  complete  and  ample  verification,  would 
not  the  word  of  mercy  be  still  more  signally  illus- 
trated and  confirmed  ?  In  this  view  even  the 
gloomy  desolation  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  ruins 
of  Nineveh  and  Tyre  confirm  the  faith  and  hope 
which  expect  the  world-wide  blessings  of  the  latter 
day.  The  illustrations  of  God's  severity  will  be 
surpassed  by  those  of  his  goodness. 

5.  The  truest  test  of  religious  character  is  found 
in  the  degree  of  our  sympathy  with  God.  If  we 
love  what  He  loves  and  hate  what  He  hates,  then 
are  we  his  children,  and  bear  his  image.  Now 
what  God  hates  particularly  is  not  neglect  of  out- 
ward observances,  but  all  departures  from  the  law 
of  love,  —  evil  acting,  evil  speaking,  evil  thinking 
toward  our  neighbor.  And  if  we  are  right-minded 
we  shall  shun  these  things,  not  for  policy's  sake, 
nor  even  from  abstract  considerations  of  propriety, 
but  because  they  are  so  offensive  to  God.  This 
was  what  underlay  the  continence  of  Joseph  under 
a  fierce  temptation,  —  How  shall  I  do  this  great 
wickedness  and  sin  against  God  1  And  this  is  the 
only  trustworthy  support  against  the  assaults  of 
the  adversary.  We  must  have  a  resolute  loyalty 
to  the  divine  administration  ;  and  say  with  David, 
"I  know,  O  Lord,  that  all  thy  judgments  are 
right,"  or  with  Paul,  "  Yea,  let  God  be  true,  but 
every  man  a  liar."  We  may,  we  must  have  sym- 
pathy with  our  fellows,  but  first  and  before  all  we 
are  to  cultivate  the  same  moral  affections  as  our 
Maker  exercises.  The  farther  this  culture  pro- 
ceeds, the  more  acceptable  we  become  to  Him  and 
the  truer  to  the  best  interests  of  men.  It  is  the 
more  important  to  emphasize  this  truth  because 
in  our  own  day  there  is  a  persistent  attempt 
in  various  quarters  to  introduce  in  a  disguised 
form  the  dreadful  error  which  Paul  represents 
(Rom.  i.  25),  as  lying  at  the  root  of  the  gross 
idolatry  and  depravity  of  the  heathen  world  —  the 
worshipping  and  serving  the  creature  more  than 
the  Creator.  Men  reverse  the  order  laid  down  by 
our  Saviour,  and  make  regard  for  man  the  first 
and  great  commandment.  The  "enthusiasm  of 
humanity "  is  substituted  for  obedience  to  God 
and  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  the  sanctions  of 
religion,  properly  so  called,  are  quietly  ignored. 
Comte's  proposed  worship  of  Le  grand  Etre,  col- 
lestive  humanity,  only  put  in  a  concrete  form  the 
theoretical  principles  actuating  many  who  ridiculed 
this  new  philosophical  religion.  He  pushed  things 
to  their  logical  result.  Yet  every  jiage  of  Scrip- 
ture teaches  that  integrity  and  philanthropy  are  not 
piety,  and  every  fresh  leaf  that  is  turned  in  human 
experience  shows  that  the  true  love  of  man  is 
rooted  in  the  love  of  God,  and  that  no  sympathy 
can  be  permanently  relied  upon  which  is  not  fed 
"rom  sujiernal  sources. 

6.  The  lively,  dramatic  form  in  which  Zechariah 


predicts  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  is  note 
worthy.  A  general  movement  among  the  nations 
the  inhabitants  of  one  city  running  to  another  witl 
the  eager  summons  to  seek  Jehovah,  "  let  us  gc 
speedily,"  lest  we  be  too  late;  the  instant  answer, 
"  I  will  go  also  ;  "  different  nationalities  crowding 
around  one  Jew  and  seizing  even  the  hem  of  his 
garment  ;  all  coveting  fellowship  with  tiie  obscure 
child  of  Israel,  simply  because  they  had  heard  that 
God  was  with  him.  Nothing  could  have  seemed 
more  unlikely  to  the  contem])oraries  of  the  proph- 
et, yet  how  exactly  it  has  been  fulfilled !  The 
whole  Roman  Empire  with  the  vast  multitude  of 
peoples  it  contained,  and  very  many  more  who  never 
saw  the  imperial  eagles,  have  submitted  to  the  au- 
thority of  a  Saviour  who  was  a  Jew ;  all  rested 
their  hopes  for  eternity  upon  a  Jew.  Other  na- 
tions have  been  centres  and  sources  for  philosophy, 
science,  art,  literature,  law,  and  government ;  but 
in  the  matter  of  the  knowledge  of  God,  the  writ- 
ings of  Jews  are  the  only  and  universal  standard. 
For  centuries  past  the  mightiest  intellects  and 
largest  hearts  of  the  race  have  breathed  the  spirit 
and  studied  the  words  of  these  living  oracles.  The 
Jewish  outward  polity  has  disappeared,  the  nation 
has  been  scattered  as  no  nation  ever  was  before  or 
since,  a  bitter  and  irrational  prejudice  against  them 
characterizes  a  large  part  of  Christendom  ;  and  yet 
the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  is  recog- 
nized as  the  one  supreme  Creator  and  Lord  of  the 
universe,  in  the  best  thought  of  the  civilized  world. 
And  at  this  day  literally  men  of  all  nations  and 
kindreds  and  tribes  and  tongues  are,  almost  with- 
out a  figure,  laying  hold  of  the  skirt  of  him  that  is 
a  Jew.  They  cast  in  their  lot  with  those  whom 
God  chose  to  be  a  people  for  Himself,  and  are  rest- 
ing their  hopes  upon  that  crucified  Jew  who  is  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  All  other  gods  are  idols.  All 
other  faiths  are  decrepit.  All  other  religions  are 
forms.  The  hope  of  Israel  alone  has  survived  the 
vicissitudes  of  time  and  the  revolutions  of  earth, 
and  flourishes  in  immortal  youth,  making  fresh 
conquests  every  day,  constantly  entering  new  fields, 
breaking  up  the  apathy  of  ages,  undermining  su- 
perstitions hoar  with  the  rime  of  a  thousand  years, 
and  calling  forth  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  the  old 
cry.  Come,  let  us  go  speedily  to  seek  Jehovah  of 
Hosts. 

HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  ver.  2.  Men  judge  God  by  themselves 
in  interpreting  his  promises,  much  oftener  than 

in  interpreting  his  threatenings Ver.  17.  When 

God  covenants  with  his  people.  He  also  covenants 
with  their  children.  —  Ver.  20-23.  All  true  piety 
is  instinct  with  the  missionary  spirit,  —  desire  fo- 
the  salvation  of  others. 

Prbssel  :  ver.  23.  Shall  we  delay  our  mission- 
ary eftbrts  until  Heathens,  Mohammedans,  and 
Jews  seize  us  by  the  skirt  ?  No,  for  if  that  had 
been  the  rule,  where  would  we  ourselves  have 
been  ?  No,  but  on  the  contrary,  let  us  like  brotners 
seize  them  by  the  hand  and  lead  them  to  the  Lord. 

Again  :  No  one  can  be  another's  leader  to  the 
Lord,  unleas  it  be  perceived  that  God  is  with  him  ; 
but  wherever  that  is  plainly  seen,  men  gladly  seek 
such  guidance. 

Jerome.  Shall  it  be  marvelous.  Who  would 
have  supposed  that  the  same  imperial  power  which 
destroyed  our  churches  and  burnt  our  Bibles, 
should  now  rebuild  the  former  at  public  expense, 
in  splendor  of  gold  and  various  ma-bles,  and_  re 
store  the  latter  in  golden  ptrple  and  jeweled  bind 
ine,s  ? 


CHAPTERS  IX.-XIV.  65 


PART   SECOND. 

FUTURE  DESTINY  OF  THE  COVENANT  PEOPLE. 

Chapters  IX.-XIV. 

The  genuineness  of  these  chapters  as  a  constituent  part  of  the  prophecies  uttered  by  the  Zechariah 
who  flourished  after  the  Captivity,  has  been  contested  since  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  arguments  pro  and  con  have  been  considered  in  the  Introduction.  According  to  tlie  traditional 
and  correct  view,  they  contain  such  further  disclosures  of  God's  purposes  respecting  his  kingdom  as 
He  was  jileascd  to  communicate  to  his  sei-vant  Zechariah  after  what  is  coTitained  in  the  previous  por- 
tion of  tlie  book  had  been  i-ecorded.  Whether  these  six  chapters  were  delivered  all  at  once,  or  were 
set  forth  in  parts  which  afterwards  were  collected  by  the  author  into  one  whole,  cannot  now  be  deter- 
mined. The  only  apparent  mark  of  division  they  contain  is  found  in  the  title  prefixed  to  ch.  ix.,  and 
afterwards  repeated  at  the  beginning  of  ch.  xii.  This  is  used  by  some  to  justify  a  distribution  of  the 
contents  into  two  burdens  or  oracles  —  a  distribution  which  may  be  admitted  as  a  matter  of  con- 
venience and  as  indicating  in  general  a  progress  in  the  order  of  thought  and  revelation,  but  which 
must  not  be  pressed  too  closely,  since  at  times  the  prophet,  just  as  is  the  case  with  his  predecessors 
before  the  exile  (Is.,  etc.),  turns  upon  his  steps  and  resumes  matters  which  have  been  already  treated 
of.  The  transitions  of  the  writer  are  often  rapid,  and  the  connection  is  consequently  obscure,  but  the 
general  drift  of  this  outlook  upon  the  future  is  plain.  Great  blessings  are  in  store'  for  the  covenant 
people,  sometimes  in  the  shape  of  victories  achieved  by  them,  at  others  in  that  of  conquests  wrought 
for  them.  A  great  deliverer  is  to  appear  who  unites  in  himself  the  seemingly  contradictory  features 
found  in  the  earlier  Messianic  representations  ;  on  one  hand  suffering,  rejected,  despised,  slain  ;  on 
the  other,  a  mighty  king,  ruling,  however,  not  by  force  but  by  spiritual  power,  attracting  multitudes 
in  penitence  and  love  to  his  side,  and  establishing  a  universal  dominion.  This,  however,  is  not  accom- 
plished without  suffering  on  the  part  of  his  people.  They  make  their  Shepherd  suffer,  and  in  turn 
themselves  are  brought  under  the  harrow.  They  are  visited  by  terrible  calamities  which  purge  away 
the  unworthy  members  of  the  kingdom.  But  even  the  select  body,  they  who  are  faithful,  have  fierca 
conflicts  with  the  outside  world.  But  they  are  delivered  by  the  wonderful  interposition  of  Jehovah. 
Then  the  Gentiles,  instead  of  being  destroyed,  are  converted,  and  press  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  the 
limits  of  which  are  made  coextensive  with  those  of  the  whole  earth. 

Such  are  the  leading  points  of  this  interesting  portion  of  prophetic  Scripture.  The  particulars  will 
be  elucidated,  as  far  as  may  be,  in  the  detailed  exposition. 

A.     THE   FIRST   BURDEN. 
Chapters  IX.-XI. 

This  stretches  over  the  period  between  the  M\  of  the  Persian  Empire  and  the  appearance  of  our 
liord.  Ch.  ix.  discloses  a  series  of  deliverances  for  God's  people,  one  of  which  (vers.  1-8)  is  wrought 
by  a  most  destructive  visitation  upon  their  present  heathen  ruler,  which  falls  in  desolating  strokes  upon 
many  of  their  neighbors,  but  is  effectually  warded  off  from  themselves,  so  that  Jerusalem  stands  like 
an  oasis  in  the  desert.  The  other  describes  an  actual  conflict  with  an  enemy  who  is  named,  Javan 
(=  Greece),  and  who  is  subdued  through  the  intervention  of  the  Lord  going  forth  with  whirlwind  and 
lightning.  In  consequence,  his  people  shine  like  the  flashing  gems  of  a  diadem.  Between  these  two 
martial  scenes,  the  prophet  hails  the  vision  of  a  lowly,  peaceful  king,  who  without  arts  or  arms  achieves 
a  bloodless  victory,  and  inaugurates  an  empire  which  reaches  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  It  would  seem 
as  if  after  the  account  of  the  first  deliverance,  the  prophet  wished  to  suggest  that  this  was  only  an 
installment  of  what  was  to  come,  and  therefore  he  held  up  for  brief  view  the  glowing  picture  of 
the  mighty  yet  peaceful  monarch  and  his  world-wide  dominion,  and  then  at  once  turns  to  remind  his 
readers  that  there  was  much  to  be  done  on  a  lower  scale  before  the  advent  of  this  peculiar  ruler.  Ch. 
X.  continues  and  enlarges  the  promises  with  which  the  previous  chapter  closed  ;  especially  emphasizing 
the  possession  of  native  rulers.  In  the  latter  part  the  speaker  passes  insensibly  to  a  similar  and  yet 
more  glorious  achievement  of  God  in  behalf  of  his  earthly  kingdom,  one  which  looks  to  a  far  more 
distant  future.  Ch.  xi.  opens  a  new  disclosure,  symbolical  and  mysterious  in  its  form,  yet  plainly  indi- 
cating a  rejection  of  the  ancient  Church  because  of  her  rejection  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  which  is  de- 
scribed at  length,  with  wonderful  vividness  of  detail  and  no  small  degree  of  dramatic  power. 

These_  three  chapters  will  well  reward  the  most  patient  study,  because  if  their  mutual  relations  and 
general  import  be  satisfactorily  ascertained,  great  aid  is  gained  for  solving  the  yet  more  serious  diffi- 
culties contained  in  the  closing  portion  of  the  book.  Prophecy,  while  by  its  very  nature  it  is  lofty  and 
mysterious,  is  neither  arbitrary  nor  disjointed.  It  proceeded  from  one  Spirit  and  has  a  settled  schema 
and  purpose  to  the  consummation  of  which  all  its  parts  directly  tend.  Notwithstanding  the  existence 
of  many  variations  of  fori?  ,  style,  and  outward  appearance,  there  is  an  underlying  coherence  worthy 
of  the  divine  inspiration.  A  single  step  firmly  gained  anywhere,  therefore,  furnishes  good  hope  foi 
what  is  to  follow.  ^  The  ''analogy  of  faith  "  is  a  principle  of  vast  use  in  doctrinal  theology  ;  it  is  of 
acne  the  less  application  in  the  field  of  exegesis  and  especially  in  that  of  the  prophetic  Scriptures 


m  ZECHARIAH. 


I.  Judgment  upon  the  Land  of  Hadrach  (ch.  ix.,  vers.  1-8).  2.  ZiovUs  King  of  Peaci 
(vers.  9,  10).  3.  Victory  over  the  Sons  of  Javan  (vers.  11-17).  4.  Further  Bless- 
ings of  God's  People  (ch.  x.).    5.  Israel's  Rejection  of  the  Good  Shepherd  (ch.  xi.) 

1.  JUDGMENT  UPON  THE  LAND  OF  HADRACH. 

Chapter  IX.  1-8. 

A.  A  destuictive  Visitation  befalls  Hadrach  and  Damascus  (ver.  1).  B.  It  destroys  also  Hamath,  Tyre^ 
and  Sidon  (vers.  2-4).  C.  The  Philistine  Cities  suffer  likewise,  but  a  Remnant  is  saved  (vera.  6-7) 
D    The  Covenant  People  are  protected  from  all  Harm  (ver.  8). 

1  The  burden  of  the  word  of  Jehovah  upon  the  land  of  Hadrach, 

And  Damascus  is  its  resting  place  ;  ^ 
For  Jehovah  has  an  eye'^  upon  man, 
And  upon  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  — 

2  And  Hamath  also  [which]  ^  borders  thereon, 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  because  *  it  is  very  wise. 

3  Aid  Tyre  built  for  herself  a  stronghold," 

And  heaped  up  silver  as  dust,  , 

And  gold  as  the  mire  of  the  streets.  i 

4  Behold  the  Lord  will  seize  ^  her, 

And  smite  her  bulwark  in ''  the  sea,  ' 

And  she  herself  shall  be  consumed  by  fire.  ' 

5  Ashkelon  sees  it  and  is  afi'aid,  > 
Gaza  also,  and  trembles  exceedingly. 

And  Ekron,  for  her  hope  is  put  to  shame,' 
And  the  king  perishes  from  Gaza, 
And  Ashkelon  shall  not  be  inhabited. 

6  And  a  mongrel  ^  dwells  in  Ashdod, 

And  I  cut  off  the  pride  of  the  Philistines. 

7  And  I  take  away  his  blood  out  of  his  mouth 
And  his  abominations  from  between  his  teeth ; 
And  even  he  ^^  remains  to  our  God, 

And  he  becomes  like  a  prince  "  in  Judah, 
And  Ekron  like  the  .Jebusite, 

8  And  I  encamp  for  my  house  against  ^  an  army,^ 
Against  him  that  goeth  hither  and  thither," 

And  no  oppressor  shall  come  over  them  any  more, 
For  now  I  see  with  mine  eyes. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Vei.  1  —  innpD  =  restiug-place,  permanent  abode. 

5  Ver   1.  —  D1S    T^27,  gen.  obi.,  an  eye  upon  man.     So  LXX.  and  most  criticB. 

T  T     '     ••' 

8  Ver.  2.  —  Before  v33n  we  must  supply  "ItTM  .    The  latter  half  of  ver.  1  is  parenthetical.   "  Hamath  oiw,'  i  * 
T  :    •  •.'  " ; 

IB  well  as  Damascus,  is  a  resting-place  of  the  burden. 

4  Ver.  2.  —  '^D  takes  its  usual  sense,  because.    To  render  although.  \s  enfeebling  as  well  as  needless. 

6  Ver.  3.  —  The  paronomasia  in  "li^JTS   "ll^  cannot  be  reproduced  in  English. 

6  Ver.  4.—  nSirni*  is  not  will  dispossess  (Burg.,  Hend.),  nor  impoverish.  (Hitzig,  Ewald),  aoT  deliver  up  (Heng^, 
Kliefoth),  but  seize,  conquer,  as  in  exactly  similar  connection,  Josh.  viii.  7,  xvii.  12  (Maurer,  Kohler). 

7  Ver.  4.  —  2*2.     In,  not  into,  as  Henderson  and  Noyes  render. 

g  Ver.  5.  —  tT'^^in.      Here,  as  elsewhere  (Jer.  il.  26),  the  Hiphil  takes  a  passive  sense  :  the  subject  of  the  Terb  ■ 
not  Ekron  (as  some  editions  of  the  E.  V.  punctuate  the  clause),  but  ntOS^, 

»  Ver.  tj. ~1TT272.    Mongrel  is  a  better,  because  more  significant  rendering  than  alien  (Genevan,  ttrangtr),  adSf  M 

bj  meet  iritica,  after  the  LXX.  iAAoyevijt.     Dr.  Van  Dyck,  in  the  Arabic  Bible,  gives  (*^^  ■»  ba«tard 


CHAPTER    IX.   1-8 


67 


10  Ver.  7. S^n"33   HStt'D.     The  E.  V.,  he  thai  remaineth,  is  not  warranted  by  graminar  nor  by  the  < 

11  Ver.  7.  —  "  Prince,"  li'erally.  tribe-prince  or  iiead  of  a  thousand,  a  Pentateuch  word. 
'  IS  Ver.  8-  —  ]^,   lit.,  herause  of,  here  is  =  against. 

18  Ver.  8.  —  n25S1!i.  The  keri  undoubtedly  gives  the  true  text,  S""."''^?,  nor  is  there  any  need  of  adopting  tin 
Towel  changes  proposed  by  Ortenberg  and  Ewald. 

14  Ver.  8.  —  2ti?I0!1  "1Z37Q  the  same  phrase  that  occure  in  vli.  14,  where,  however,  the  connection  requires  a  jm 
riation  in  the  rendering. 


EXEGETICAL  AND  CKITICAL. 
Ver.  1 .  The  burden  of  the  word.  The  ancient 
interpretation  of  St£7^,  =  divine  declaration,  ora- 
cle, or  vision  (LXX.,  Vnlgate),  has  been  adopted 
by  most  modern  interjDreters  (Cocceius,  Vitringa, 
Gcsenius,  Ewald,  Fiirst) ;  but  the  other,  =  mina- 
tory prophecy  (Targiim,  Aqiiila,  Peshito),  has 
been  accepted  by  Jerome,  Luther,  Calvin,  Umbreit, 
Kliefoth,  Pressel,  and  has  especially  been  vindi- 
cated by  Hengstenbery;  (  Chrislologtj).  Burden  is  the 
admitted  meaning  of  the  word  in  other  connec- 
tions ;  it  is  never  joined  with  the  name  of  God,  or 
of  any  other  person  but  the  subject  of  the  proph- 
ecy ;  and  undeniably  is  in  most  instances  prefixed 
to  a  threatening  j^rediction.  See  Isaiah  xxii.  1, 
xiv.  28,  XV.  1,  etc.,  and  especially  Jeremiah  xxiii. 
33  fF.  The  phrase,  "  burden  of  the  word  of  Jehovah," 
is  peculiar  to  the  post-exile  prophets  (xii.  1,  Mai. 
i.  1).  The  land  of  Hadrach  is  a  very  obscure 
fiTraf  XeyoiJLfvov.  Pressel  recounts  no  less  than  sev- 
enteen different  explanations  of  it.  They  may  be 
thus  classified :  (1.)  It  is  the  name  of  an  ancient 
city  or  land  (Theodoret  Mops.,  Michaelis,  Rosen- 
miiller,  Pressel),  but  this  has  arisen  from  a  confu- 
Bion  of  the  word  with  Edrei.  (2.)  An  appellative 
noun  denoting  the  South  (Targum),  or  the  sur- 
rounding region  (Jun.  and  Tremellius),  or  the  in- 
terior (Hitzig),  or  the  depressed  region  =  Coele- 
Syria  (Maurer).     (3.)  A  corruption  of  the  text  is 

assumed,  ?|~nn  for  "TJ'T'^n  =  Aupafms  (Orten- 
berg, Olshausen).  (4.)  The  name  of  a  Syrian 
king  (Gesenius,  Bleek,  Vaihinger,  Fiirst).  (5.) 
The  name  of  a  Syrian  god  (Movers,  Van  Alphen). 
(6.)  It  is  a  symbolical  name,  like  Ariel  (Is.  xxix. 
1),  Rahab  (Ps.  Ixxxvii.  4).  This,  the  oldest  inter- 
pretation (Jerome,  Raschi,  Kimchi),  is  sustained 
by  the  fact  that  the  others  are  all  purely  conjec- 
tural. No  such  name  as  Hadrach  is  now  or  ever 
has  been  known.  The  translators  of  the  LXX. 
and  Vulgate  were  ignorant  of  it.  All  the  other 
proper  names  in  the  passage  are  well  understood  ; 
this  one,  the  first,  has  resisted  the  eflx)rts  of  the 
acutest  scholars  to  give  it  any  historical  identifica- 
tion. We  must,  therefore,  either  say  that  it  denotes 
a  region  now  unknown,  near  Damascus,  which  is 
surely  most  unlikely  in  a  country  so  long  and 
thoroughly  known  as  northern  Syria  ;  or  else  give 
it  a  figurative  meaning.  Assuming  the  latter, 
Hengstenberg,  Kliefoth,  Keil,  after  Calvin,  ex- 
plain it  as  a  compound  term  denoting  strong-iveak 
or  harsh-gentle}  which  the  prophet  employs  as  a 
mystical  designation  of  the  Persian  Empire,  which 
for  prudential  reasons  he  was  unwilling  to  specify 
more  distinctly,  the  epithet  meaning,  that  the  land 
now  strong  and  mighty  shall  hereafter  be  humbled 
and  laid  low.  The  subsequent  statements  are  then 
only  enlargements  or  specifications  of  the  general 
nsitation  directed  against  the  great  empire  under 

1  Pressel  derides  this  view,  saying,  Diese  etymologischen 
fertuc/H  sind  in  dtr  That  aur.h  Beides,  gar  xu  scharf  und 


which  the  Jews  were  now  in  subjection.  Its  rest- 
ing-place. This  clause  commences  the  detail  of  the 
several  parts  of  the  whole  designated  as  Hadrach. 
The  burden  is  to  abide  ])ermanently  upon  Damas 
cus.  Its  native  rule,  which  ceased  on  the  Great 
Conquest,  was  never  afterwards  recovered.  '  Has 
an  eye,  etc.  Man,  here,  as  in  Jer.  xxxii.  20,  sig- 
nifies the  rest  of  mankind  as  contrasted  with  Israel. 
The  latter  half  of  the  verse  gives  the  reason  of  the 
former,  namely,  that  God's  providence  extends 
over  the  whole  earth,  and  He  therefore  cannot  al- 
low the  existing  disproportion  between  his  people 
and  the  heathen  to  continue  permanently.  Some 
(Kimchi,  Calvin,  Henderson)  render  "the  eye  of 
man,"  gen.  subj.,  as  E.  V.,  but  this  requires  an 

unusual  rendering  of  "'^j  and  besides,  does  not 
suit  the  context. 

Ver.  2.  And  Hamath  also.  Hamath,  the 
Greek  Epiphania  on  the  Orontes,  shall  also  be  a 
resting-place  of  the  burden.  Nearly  all  expos- 
itors concur  in  construing  the  last  two  words  as  a 
relative  clause.  Hamath  and  Damascus  are  closely 
connected  as  together  representing  Syria.  Con- 
tiguous in  territory,  they  were  alike  in  doom. 
From  them  the  prophet  turns  to  Phoenicia.  Tyre 
and  Sidon  is=  Tyre  with  Sidon,  as  the  following 
verb  in  the  singular  shows.  Tyre  was  a  colony 
of  Sidon,  but  the  daughter  soon  outstripped  the 
mother,  and  as  early  as  Isaiah's  time  the  elder 
city  was  viewed  as  an  appendage  of  the  younger. 
Because  it  is.  There  is  no  need  of  giving  to  the 
conjunction,  the  rare  and  doubtful  meaning,  al- 
though (Calvin,  Henderson,  E.  V.),  since  its  nor- 
mal -sense  suits  perfectly.  Tyre  was  very  wise, 
as  the  world  counts  wisdom,  multiplying  wealth 
and  strength,  and  trusting  in  them ;  but  this  very- 
pride  of  earthly  wisdom  brought  the  divine  retri- 
bution (Ezek.  xxviii.  2-6.    Cf.  1  Cor.  i.  19,  27). 

Ver.  3.  Describes  the  resources  of  the  insular 
city.  The  stronghold  doubtless  refers  to  the  im- 
mense double  sea-wall  which  made  the  place  ap- 
jiarently  impregnable.  For  her  vast  accumulation* 
of  wealth,  see  Is.  xxiii.,  Ezek.  xxvii.  Y'^lin  — 
shiniiig,  is  simply  a  poetical  name  of  gold. 

Ver.  4.   Jehovah  will  seize.    An  earthly  con 
queror  may  perform  the  work,  but  the  ultimate 
agency  is  the  Lord,  who  beholds  and  controls  all 
things.    Her  bulwark.    It  is  of  little  consequence 

whether  f^^T!  be  rendered  rampart,  or  might,  so 
long  as  in  is  not  converted  into  into.  The  point  of 
the  clause  is  that  the  insular  position,  which  appar 
ently  rendered  the  city  invincible,  should  feel  the 
weight  of  Jehovah's  hand,  and  prove  no  protec- 
tion. The  prodigious  power  and  wealth  of  the 
Tyrians,  and  their  utter  overthrow,  are  among  the 
most  familiar  of  historical  truths. 

Ver.  5.  The  prophet  turns  to  Philistia.  Ash- 
kelon  sees,  etc.  A  vivid  description  of  the  effect 
of  the  fall  of  Tyre  upon  the  cities  on  the  coast 

gar  zu  zart,  gar  zu  stark  und  gar  zu  schwach.  But  where  atf 
are  groping  in  the  dark,  ridicule  is  scarcely  in  place. 


cs 


ZECHAHIAH. 


southward  (cf.  Is.  xxiii.  5).  Only  four  of  the  Phil- 
istine capitals  are  mentioned,  Gath  beins:  omitted, 
as  in  Amos,  i.  6-8,  Jer.  xxv.  20,  Zeph.  ii.  4.  The 
oiaission  seems  due  to  the  fact  that  Gath,  atter 
being  dismantled  by  Uzziah  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  6), 
Bank  into  iiolitical  insiunihcance.  "  Sees  "  is  to  be 
eup])lied  after  Gaza,  and  both  "  sees  "  and  "  fears  " 
after  Ekron.  The  king,  in  Hebrew,  lacks  the  arti- 
cle, and  the  sense  is  not  simply  that  the  reiyning 
king  perishes,  but  that  Gaza  henceforth  has  no 
king.    Of  course,  such  monarchs  as  it  had  at  this 

time,  were  only  vassal  kings.  ^V.  0-  Hengsten- 
berg  strenuously  contends  agamst  the  common 
passive  rendering,  but  apparently  without  reason. 
He  (with  Ewald  and  Kohler)  renders,  it  shall  sit 
or  remain,  in  opposition  to  passing  on  or  passing 
away.     But  compare  Isaiah  xiii.   20,  where  the 

verb  is  used  as  exactly  parallel  with  15^'-  (J.  A. 
Alexander  in  loc.) 

Ver.  6.  And  a  mongrel  dwells.  "IJPP.  A 
word  of  uncertain  origin,  which  occurs  in  only 
one  other  place  in  Scripture,  namely,  Deut.  xxiii.  3, 
where  it  means  bastard.  The  rendering  in  the  ver- 
sion is  from  Fiirst  (Dictionary),  who  deduces  the 
verb  from  an  assumed  root,  signifying  to  mix  the. 
sexes.  It  is  used  in  the  text  to  denote  a  person  of 
blemished  birth.  Ashdod  should  lose  its  native 
population,  and  have  their  place  supplied  by  a 
mongrel  brood.  The  pride  of  the  Philistines, 
i.  e.,  all  that  constitutes  their  pride.  This  clause 
resumes  what  precedes  in  relation  to  the  several 
cities,  and  applies  it  to  the  nation  as  a  whole.  In 
the  next  verse  a  further  advance  is  made,  and  the 
conversion  of  the  people  is  set  forth. 

Ver.  7.  And  I  take  .  .  .  blood.  The  singular 
suffixes  refer  to  the  ideal  unity  in  which  the  Phil- 
istines are  conceived  of  as  a  single  person.  See  a 
similar  case  in  ch.  vii.  2,  3.  The  blood  mentioned 
is  that  of  sacrifices,  which  the  heathen  sometimes 
drank,  and  the  abominations  =  not  idols,  as  if  he 
were  going  to  hold  on  to  them  mordicns  ( Hengsten- 
berg),  but  idolatrous  offerings.  The  whole  clause 
strikingly  depicts  the  abolition  of  idolatry.  The 
rest  of  the  verse  sets  forth  what  comes  in  its  place. 
And  even  he,  i.  e.,  the  nation  of  the  Philistines 
r-egarded  as  a  person.  To  our  God  =  the  God 
of  Israel.     They  shall    become   his  worshippers. 

Like  a  prince,  a  tribe  prince.  ^!p^  is  a  denom- 
inative from  n^'!?!  and  denotes  the  head  of  a  thou- 
sand (cf  Micah,  v.  2).  In  the  earlier  books  it  is 
applied  only  to  the  tribe-princes  of  Edora,  but  is 
transferred  by  Zechariah  to  the  tribal  heads  of  Ju- 
dah.  Tbe  remnant  of  the  Philistines  is  to  become 
like  a  cliiliarch  in  Judah.  The  statement  is  com- 
pleted by  the  final  clause.  And  Ekron.  This  is 
mentioned  not  in  and  for  itself,  but  simply  to  indi- 
vidualize the  declaration  ;  any  other  city  would 
have  answered  as  well.  Like  the  Jebusite,  /.  e., 
like  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Jel)us,  who  became 
incorporated  with  the  covenant  people  and  shared 
all  their  privileges.  See  the  case  of  Araunah,  2 
Sam.  xxiv.  18. 

Ver.  8.  Not  only  shall  a  judgment  fall  on  the 
neighboring  heathen  and  the  remnant  of  them  be 
converted,  but  the  Lord  will  carefully  protect  his 
own  j)eopli.  And  I  encamp  for  my  house. 
House,  dal.  comm.,  stands  for  jjeoplc  or  family  of 
G  )d  ( Hos.  vili.  1).  An  army  is  more  precisely 
defined  in  the  next  clause  as  passing  through  and 
"etuming,  j.  e.,  marching  to  and  fro.     No  oppres- 


sor, such  as  Egypt,  Assyria,  or  Babylon.  For  now 
I  see  =  am  exercising  my  providential  control 
"  In  the  estimation  of  men  of  little  faith,  God  seft 
only  when  He  is  actually  interfering  "  (Heng&ten- 
berg).    But  in  fact  He  sees  all  the  time. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  we  have  here  af 
graphic  an  account  of  the  expedition  of  Alexande; 
the  Great  as  is  consistent  with  the  permanent  dis 
tinction  between  prophecy  and  history  "  (Hengsten 
berg).  The  capture  of  Damascus,  of  Tyre,  am 
of  Gaza,  are  well-known  historical  facts  ;  and  thes" 
carry  with  them  assurance  that  there  was  also  i. 
fulfillment  of  the  prediction  in  reference  to  Hamath 
and  the  other  cities  of  Philistia,  of  the  fate  of  which 
we  have  no  express  account.  This  fulfillment, 
however,  was  manifestly  only  incipient,  inasmuch 
as  the  incorporation  of  the  Philistines  with  Israel 
did  not  take  place  until  a  later  period.  On  the 
(jther  hand,  the  attempt  of  the  so-called  later  crit- 
icism to  refer  the  passage  to  the  conquests  of  Uz- 
ziah mentioned  in  2  Chron.  xxvi.  6,  7,  completely 
fails  ;  because  Uzziah  did  not  attack  Damascus 
and  Hamath  nor  Tyre,  which  are  here  mentioned, 
while  he  did  subdue  other  neighboring  heathen, 
Edomites,  Arabians,  Maonites,  who  are  not  men- 
tioned. The  rapid  celerity  of  these  conquests  is 
most  appropriate  to  the  agency  of  the  "  he-goat " 
whom  Daniel  saw  (viii.  5)  coming  from  the  west 
"  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  and  he  touched 
not  the  ground."  All  the  great  captains  from  Ses- 
ostris  down  yield  to  Alexander  in  the  swiftness  and 
extent  of  his  conquests.  Even  Tyre,  with  all  its 
immense  advantages  and  resources,  stayed  his 
march  for  only  what  was  comparatively  a  short 
period. 

DOCTRINAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever. 
Here  is  a  prediction  of  a  heavy  calamity,  which 
falls  in  succession  upon  Damascus,  Hamath,  Tyre, 
Zidon,  and  the  sea-coast  cities  of  Philistia  ;  yet  tbe 
people  of  God  are  safe,  guarded  not  by  any  human 
power,  but  by  the  unseen  presence  of  their  God. 
Even  so  it  came  to  pass.  The  Syrian  conquests  of 
Alexander  the  Great  fulfilled  the  prophecy  to  the 
letter.  After  the  battle  of  Issus,  he  captured  Da- 
mascus, which  Darius  had  chosen  as  the  strong 
dspository  of  his  wealth,  and  this  opened  to  him 
all  Ccele-Syria.  Zidon  soon  surrendered.  Tyre, 
strong  in  its  position,  its  defenses,  its  wealth,  and 
its  wisdom,  made  a  stubborn  resistance,  yet  after 
a  seven  months'  siege  was  taken  and  "  devoured 
by  fire."  Gaza,  too,  although  it  was,  as  its  name 
imports,  the  strong,  was  conquered  after  five  months' 
effort,  and  destroyed.  The  whole  region  fell  a  prey 
to  the  imperious  conqueror,  but  the  armies  passed 
and  repassed  by  Jerusalem  without  doing  the  least 
injury.  Josephus  accounts  for  this  remarkable  fact 
by  the  statement  that  when  the  conqueror  drew 
near  the  city  the  high  priest  went  forth  to  meet 
him,  in  his  official  robes,  followed  by  a  train  of 
priests  and  citizens  arrayed  in  white ;  and  that 
Alexander  was  so  impressed  by  the  spectacle  that 
he  did  reverence  to  the  holy  name  on  the  high 
priest's  mitre;  and  when  Parmenio  expressed  sur. 
prise  at  the  act,  he  answered  that  he  had  seen  in  a 
vision  at  Dium  in  Macedon,  the  god  whom  Jaddua 
represented,  who  encouraged  him  to  cross  over  into 
Asia  and  promised  him  success.  Afterwards  he 
entered  the  city,  offered  sacrifice,  and  heard  a  re^ 
cital  of  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  which  foretold  hii 
victory,  in  conseauence  of  which  he  bestowed  inc 


CHAPTER   IX.  9,  10. 


69 


portant  privileges  upon  the  Jews.  (See  Hengsten- 
berir,  Gmuineneas  of  Daniel,  224-233  ;  Smith's  Z)«c- 
tionary  of  the  Bible,  p.  60.)  The  truth  of  this  nar- 
rative, although  much  questioned  by  Prideaux  and 
others,  has  of  late  come  to  be  considered  extremely 
probable,  on  the  ground  of  both  its  external  evi- 
dence and  its  consistency  virith  the  character  and 
policy  of  Alexander.  But  there  is  no  doubt  what- 
ever of  the  main  fact,  that  amid  the  storm  of  con- 
quest which  swept  over  the  entire  coterminous  re- 
gion, .Jerusalem  escaped  unharmed.  The  holy  city 
experienced  what  David  said  (Ps. xxxiv.  7),  "The 
angel  of  the  Lovd  e?icampeth  around  them  that  fear 
Him  and  delivereth  them."  This  "captain  of  the 
Lord's  host  "  (Josh.  v.  15)  kept  at  bay  the  other- 
ivise  irresistible  foe. 

2.  Bloodshed  and  carnage  prepare  the  way  for 
the  Prince  of  Peace.  The  conquest  of  Alexander 
had  aims  and  results  far  beyond  any  contemplated 
by  himself  even  in  the  most  extensive  of  his  fiir- 
reaching  views.  He  tore  down  that  others  might 
build  up.  The  humiliation  of  the  Syrian  powers 
and  provinces  was  preliminary  to  their  conversion 
to  the  true  faith.  Their  cruel  and  debasing  wor- 
ship disappeared,  and  the  remnant  became  incor- 
porated with  the  Christian  Church.  They  exhib- 
ited on  a  small  scale  what  the  entire  career  of  Alex- 
ander exhibited  on  the  world's  broad  stage, — a 
secular  preparation  for  the  new  and  final  form  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  Well  says  Words- 
worth, "  We  speak  of  the  connection  oi'  sacred  and 
profane  history  ;  but  what  history  can  rightly  be 
called  profane  ?  What  history  is  there,  rightly 
studied,  which  is  not  sacred '?  What  history  is 
there  in  which  we  may  not  trace  the  footsteps  of 
Christ  1  "  A  heathen  historian  (Arrian)  said  that 
Alexander,  who  was  like  no  other  man,  could  not 
bave  been  given  to  the  world  without  the  special 


design  of  Providence.  But  what  to  Arrian  was 
an  inference  from  a  narrow  induction  is  to  us  a 
broad  fact  stamped  upon  the  face  of  the  world's 
history,  and  contirined  by  the  concurrent  testimo- 
nies of  two  divine  seers,  Daniel  and  Zechariah. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Wordsworth:  Ver.  1.  Hadrach  is  the  desig- 
nation of  the  powers  of  this  world  generally  (of 
which  Persia  was  a  specimen),  strong  for  a  while 
and  proudly  exulting  in  their  strength,  and  oppos- 
ing God  and  persecuting  his  Church,  and  in  due 
time  to  be  laid  low  and  broken  in  pieces  by  Him. 
How  many  Hadrachs  are  now  vaunting  themselves 
as  if  they  were  all-powerful  !  how  nuiny  are  raging 
against  Jlini,  and  how  terrible  will  be  their  down- 
fall! 

Moore  :  Never  has  sin  more  proudly  entrenched 
herself  than  in  godless  but  magnificent  Tyre.  Yet 
all  was  swept  like  chati'  before  the  whirlwind  of 
the  wrath  of  God,  when  the  time  for  the  fulfillment 
of  his  threatenings  had  come.  Two  hundred  years 
passed  away  after  these  threatenings  were  uttered, 
and  Tyre  seemed  stronger  than  ever ;  yet  when 
the  day  of  doom  dawned,  the  galleys  that  had  left 
her  the  queen  of  seas,  when  they  returned  found 
her  but  a  bare  and  blackened  rock,  a  lonely  mon- 
ument of  the  truth  that  our  God  is  a  consuming 
fire.  .  .  .  God  will  not  make  Himself  a  liar  to 
save  man  in  his  sins. 

Jay  :  Ekron  as  the  Jehusite.  1 .  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  be  a  Jebusite.  2.  Jebusites  may  be  de- 
rived from  Ekronites.  Hence  lot  none  despair, 
either  for  themselves  or  for  their  fellows.  God  is 
able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children  to  Abra- 
ham. 


2.  ZION'S  KING  OF  PEACE. 


Chapter  IX.   9,  10. 


A.    The  Character  of  the  King  (ver.  9).     B.    The  Nature  and  Extent  of  his  Kingdom  (ver.  10). 

9  Rejoice  greatly,  daughter  of  Zion, 
Shout,^  daughter  of  Jerusalem, 
Behold,  thy  king  cometh  to  ^  thee, 
Just  and  saved  is  He, 
Afflicted  and  riding  upon  an  ass, 
Even  upon  a  colt,  the  she-asses'  ^  foal, 
10  And  I  will  cut  off  the  chariot  from  Ephraim, 
And  the  horse  from  Jerusalem, 
And  the  battle-bow  shall  be  cut  oflf ; 
And  he  shall  speak  peace  to  the  nations. 
And  his  dominion  shall  be  from  sea  to  sea, 
And  from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 


1  Ter.  9.  —  "  Shout,"  K.  V.,  \a  the  exact  rendering  of  '*27''"]rT,  which  means,  to  make  a  .oud  noise  j  xrhethet  of  Joj 
n  sorrow  depends  upon  the  context. 

2  Ver.  9  —  ?f  7.    Not  only  to  thee,  but /or  thee,  for  thy  good.    Cf.  Is.  ix.  6. 

;!  Ver.  9.  —  The  E.  \.,foal  of  an  ass,  by  making  the  last  noun  a  singular  instead  of  a  plural,  misses  the  emphasu 
*i'l  iipni]  tlif  \nuth  of  the  animal  as  one  not  yet  old  enough  to  go  by  itself. 


70 


ZECHARIAH. 


BXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

From  the  description  of  deliverance  wrought 
and  blessings  conferred  by  means  of  destructive 
judgments  upon  the  heathen,  the  Prophet  turns 
nbruptly  to  a  royal  personage  who  is  to  appear 
without  armies  or  weapons,  and  yet  will  establish 
general  peace  and  set  up  a  kingdom  of  unlimited 
extent. 

Ver.  9.  Rejoice.  The  value  of  this  blessing  is 
expressed  by  a  summons  to  joy  in  view  of  it.  Coc- 
eeius  justly  says,  that  the  summons  itself  contains 
a  prophecy.  Daughter  of  Zion,  see  on  ii.  7-10. 
The  Prophet  says,  Behold!  as  if  he  saw  the  ani- 
mating spectacle,  thy  king  —  not  any  ruler,  but 
thine,  i.  e.,  the  one  long  promised  and  expected 
(Pss.  xlv.,  Ixxxii.),  he  who  alone  is  thy  king,  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  word. 

This  king  is  described  by  four  features  of  char- 
acter and  condition  :  (1.)  Just.  The  leading  vir- 
tue in  a  king,  and  hence  emphasized  in  the  Mes- 
sianic utterances  (Is.  xi.   3-5  ;  Jer.  xxiii.  5  ;  Ps. 

xlv.  6,  7).  (2.)  Saved.  17K.'''i3  is  rendered  active- 
ly by  all  the  ancient  versions  (Luther,  Grotius, 
Marckius,  Henderson);  but  the  participle  is  Niphal 
which,  although  it  may  be  reflexive,  is  never  ac- 
tive save  in  verbs  which  have  no  Kal  form.  Cal- 
vin, Cocceius,  and  most  of  the  moderns,  give  the 
passive  rendering.  A  tertium  quid  has  been  sought 
by  Hengstenberg,  Keil,  and  others,  in  the  sense 
endued  with  salvation,  but  for  this  I  can  see  no  au- 
thority in  the  passages  quoted  (Deut.  xxxiii.  29  ; 
Ps.  xxxiii.  16).  Pressel  follows  Fiirst  in  rendering 
victorious,  which  is  arbitrary.  Nor  is  there  here  an 
exigentia  loci,  as  Henderson  claims ;  for  the  king  is 
saved  not  for  his  own  sake  only,  but  for  his  peo- 
ple's, and  the  blessing,  therefore,  is  not  a  personal 
one,  but  extends  to  all   his  subjects.     Thus   the 

passive  suits  the  connection.     (3.)  Afflicted,  "^3^^. 

The  root  ^3^  =  to  be  bowed  down,  in  its  primary 
sense  of  bowed  by  outward  circumstances  =  af- 
flicted, gives  the  adjective  found  here,  but  in  the 
secondary  sense  of  inwardly  bowed,  gives  the  ad- 
jective 13^  =meek,  patient,  lowly.  While  there 
is  a  constant  tendency  of  the  two  significations  to 
pass  into  each  other,  yet  the  distinction  is  gener- 
ally maintained,  and   "^3^  is  found  coupled  with 

"ji'^SS,  bl,  2^3.  The  E.  V.  is  sustained  by  the 
LXX.  (Trpoi5s),  Targum,  Kimchi,  and  most  of  the 
moderns,  who  cannot  see  the  relevancy  of  this 
feature  to  the  character  of  a  triumphant  king.  But 
our  king  triumphs  through  suffering.  His  crown 
springs  out  of  his  cross.  Hence  we  agree  with 
the  Vulgate  (pauper),  Aben  Esra,  Calvin,  Cocceius, 
Hengstenberg,  Tholuck,  Keil,  in  considering  this 
one  word  as  summing  up  the  elaborate  picture  of 
suffering  contained  in  Is.  liii.  It  is  true,  Matthew 
(xxi.  .5)  ai)parently  sustains  the  other  view,  but  he 
merely  quotes  the  LXX.  as  he  found  it,  without 
endorsing  its  absolute  accuracy  in  all  particulars. 
Besides,  he  omits  two  of  the  traits  mentioned,  and 
dwells  only  on  the  last  one,  for  the  sake  of  which 
his  quotation  was  manifestly  made.  (4.)  Kiding 
upon  an  ass.     Lit.,  "  upon  an  ass,  even  upon  a 

young  ass,  a  foal  of  she-asses."  The  ^  is  epexc- 
^etical,  just  as  it  is  in  1  Sam.  xvii.  40,  "  in  a  shep- 
lierd's  bag,  even  in  a  scrip."  nlDDS  is  simply 
the  plural  of  species.     Gen.  xxi.  7  :    "  who  would 


have  said  that  Sarah  should  give  children  suck  ?  * 
Yet  Sarah  had  but  one  child.  In  this  case  the 
youthfuiness  of  the  animal  is  emphasized,  sine* 
the  expression  implies  that  it  was  one  not  yet  rid- 
den, but  still  running  behind  the  she-asses.  But 
what  does  this  trait  mean  ?  Many  afhrm  that  it 
points  to  the  peaceful  character  of  the  king,  as  set 
forth  in  the  next  verse.  But  this  does  not  account 
for  the  marked  emphasis  given  to  the  youth  of  the 
animal.  It  is  better  therefore  (Hengstenberg,  Keil, 
etc.)  to  regard  it  as  a  token  of  poverty  and  mean- 
ness. The  ass  was  indeed  ridden  by  distinguished 
persons  in  the  early  days  of  Israel  when  horses 
were  not  used  at  all" ;  but  after  the  time  of  Solo- 
mon no  instance  occurs  of  its  being  employed  on 
state  occasions.  That  this  king  should  ride  not 
upon  a  horse  but  upon  an  ass,  and  that  an  un- 
trained foal,  indicated  how  far  he  should  be  from 
possessing  any  worldly  splendor.  The  close  cor- 
respondence between  this  ac-count  and  our  Lord's 
entry  into  Jerusalem  is  well  known  ;  and  Matthew 
(xxi.  4)  and  John  (xii.  15)  speak  of  the  latter  as 
a  fulfillment  of  the  former.  And  while  it  is  true, 
as  Vitringa  says,  that  the  prophecy  would  have 
been  ful tilled  in  Christ,  even  if  He  had  not  made 
his  entry  into  Jerusalem  in  this  manner  ;  still  it  is 
apparent  that  our  Lord  designedly  framed  the  cor 
respondence  which  we  observe,  and  that  he  in 
tended  thus  to  embody  the  thought  which  lies  a 
the  basis  of  the  whole  passage,  namely,  that  thi 
king  Messiah  would  rise  through  lowliness  and 
suffering,  to  might  and  glory,  and  would  conquer 
the  world  not  by  arms  but  by  suffering  and  dying. 
Ver.  10.  This  verse  describes  the  character  and 
extent  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  And  I  will 
cut  off,  etc.  Not  only  will  this  king  extend  his 
reign  by  peaceful  methods,  but  all  the  instruments 
of  war  will  be  effectually  removed  from  his  peo- 
ple. The  chariot,  the  horse,  and  the  battle- 
i)ow  are  merely  specifications,  standing  for  the 
whole  class  of  offensive  weapons,  which  are  to  be 
cut  off.  This  last  word  is  the  one  used  above 
(ver.  6)  in  reference  to  the  pride  of  the  Philistines, 
and  denotes  extermination.  Both  passages  rest 
upon  Micah  v.  10,  11.  The  Lord  will  take  away 
all  the  outward  defenses  upon  which  a  carnal  reli- 
ance is  placed.  The  occurrence  of  the  word  Eph- 
raim  here  does  not  prove  that  this  prophecy  was 
written  before  the  exile,  but  only  that  Zechariah 
uses  the  familiar  designation  of  the  different  parts 
of  the  country  which  still  survived  after  the  sep- 
aration of  the  two  kingdoms  had  ceased.  See 
mention  of  Israel  in  viii.  13,  the  post  exilium  origin 
of  which  is  admitted  by  all.  Speak  peace,  not 
that  He  will  teach  peace,  nor  command  peace,  nor 
speixk  ]>eacefulli/,  but  that  He  will  s/)eaX- .  peace,  and 
that  effectually,  accomplishing  by  a  single  word 
what  worldly  kings  bring  about  only  by  force  of 
arms  (cf  Ps.  Ixxii.  6,  7  ;  Micah  v.  5).  He  will  do 
so  not  merely  to  the  covenant  people,  but  to  the 
nations  at  large.  This  point  is  farther  expanded 
in  the  boundaries  assigned  to  his  sway.  From 
sea  to  sea,  etc.  The  expressions  are  l)Oi  rowed 
from  the  statement  of  Israel's  "  bounds  "  in  Ex. 
xxiii.  31,  whence  some  (Eichhom,  Hitzig)  have  in- 
ferred that  they  mean  simply  the  restoration  of  the 
earthly  Israel  to  its  widest  geographical  limits. 
But  tliere  are  changes  in  the  phraseology  which 
conijxl  a  different  view.  Instead  of  saying,  from 
one  particular  sea  to  another,  Zechariah  leaves  out 
all  (jualifying  ei)ithets  and  even  the  articles,  so  tiat 
the  first  clause  must  mean,  from  any  oct  sea  tc 
any  other,  even  the  most  distant,  or  from  any  sea 
around  to  the  same  point  again.    The  other  clause 


CHAPTER  IX.  9,  10. 


71 


will  mean,  from  the  Euphrates,  or  from  any  other 
river  as   a  terminus  a  quo,  to  the  ends  of  the 

earth.  ~''7t  ^'^ii^  the  article  always  means  the 
Euphrates,  and  probably  does  so  here,  but  an 
equivalent  sense  may  be  gained  by  the  alternative 
rendering  given  above.  What  is  meant  is  that 
the  kingdom  should  be  strictly  universal.  Our 
passage  is  a  reproduction  of  Ps.  Ixxii.  8. 

T7ip  Histori/  Iff  the  fnterprftation.  The  early  Jew- 
ish authorities  held  that  the  Messiah  is  the  subject. 
Thus  the  Book  of  Zohar,  "On  this  account  it  is 
said  of  Messiah,  Lowly  and  riding  upon  an  ass." 
The  same  view  is  given  by  Joshua  lien  Levi,  Sa- 
adias-Gaon,  and  others.  The  testimonies  may  be 
found  in  Wetstein  on  Matt.  xxi.  4.  Jarchi,  known 
among  the  Jews  as  the  prince  of  Commentators, 
declares  tbat  "  it  is  impossible  to  interpret  it  of 
any  other  than  the  Messiah."  In  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury other  opinions  prevailed.  One  found  in  the 
Bab.  Talmud  evaded  the  difficulty  by  saying,  "If 
the  Israelites  are  worthy,  the  Messiah  will  come 
with  the  clouds  of  heaven  (Dan.  vii.  1.3)  ;  if  they  are 
unworthy,  he  will  come  poor  and  riding  upon  an 
ass  (Zech.  ix.  9)."  Another  resorted  to  the  device 
of  two  Messiahs,  one  of  whom  should  be  suffer- 
ing, and  the  other,  triumphant.  Yet  manifestly  it 
is  one  and  the  same  person  who  is  described  by  the 
Prophet  as  uniting  in  himself  the  extremes  of  maj- 
esty and  humiliation,  —  a  combination  which  on 
the  New  Testament  view  of  the  case  is  intelligible 
and  self-consistent,  but  on  any  other  quite  impos- 
sible. Aben-Ezra  refuted  the  opinion  of  Rabbi 
Moses,  the  priest  who  referred  the  prophecy  to  Ne- 
hemiah,  but  himself  went  as  far  astray  by  inter- 
preting it  of  Judas  Maccabaeus.  There  were  those, 
however,  who  adhered  to  the  Messianic  interpreta- 
tion, and  resorted  to  strange  expedients  to  get  rid 
of  the  implication  of  weakness  and  lowliness.  One 
of  these  was  the  fable  that  the  ass  created  at  the 
end  of  the  six  days  of  creation  was  the  same  which 
Abraham  saddled  when  he  went  to  offer  Isaac,  and 
which  Moses  set  his  wife  and  sons  upon  when  he 
came  out  of  Egypt ;  and  that  this  distinguished 
animal  was  to  bear  the  Messiah.  Another  was 
that  the  ass  of  King  Messiah  should  be  of  an  hun- 
dred colors.  The  more  intelligent  expositors  (Kim- 
chi,  Abarbanel,  et  al.)  explained  the  reference  to 
the  ass  as  a  sign  of  humility.  It  is  supposed  that 
this  prophecy  in  some  way  gave  rise  to  the  foolish 
statement  of  Tacitus,  that  the  Jews  consecrated 
the  image  of  an  ass  in  the  inmost  shrine  of  their 
temple,  and  hence  probably  arose  the  calumny 
upon  the  early  Christians,  who  were  often  con- 
founded with  the  Jews,  that  they  worshipped  an 
ass's  head,  —  a  fable  which  Tertullian  takes  the 
trouble  to  confute  {Ad  Nationes,  i.  11). 

Among  Christians  the  reference  to  Christ  was 
uniform  until  the  time  of  Grotius,  who  asserted 
that  its  first  and  literal  application  was  to  Zerub- 
babel,  but  that  in  a  higher  sense  it  referred  to  our 
Saviour.  This  view  "  excited  universal  displea- 
sure, and  called  forth  a  host  of  rejdies,  the  first  of 
which  was  written  by  Bochart."  Such  a  view  re- 
futes itself  Later,  the  rationalists  felt  themselves 
pressed  by  the  same  difficult}'  as  the  Jews.  They 
could  easily  account  on  natural  principles  for  the 
anticipation  of  a  Messiah  in  glory,  but  were  quite 
unable  in  this  way  to  explain  the  prophecy  of  a 
Buffering  Messiah.  They  therefore  resorted  to  the 
Jewish  evasions,  and  sought  for  somebody  else 
than  Christ  as  the  subject.  Bauer  chose  Simon 
Maccabaus ;   Paulus,   John     Hyrcanus ;    Forherg, 


King  Uzziah.  But  the  most  (Eichhorn,  Gesenius, 
Kwidd,  etc.)  devised  the  theory  of  an  ideal  Mes- 
siah, maintaining  that  this  and  all  other  similar 
prophecies  arose  simply  from  th"  vague  expecta- 
tion that  there  would  appear  in  the  future  some 
great  deliverer  springing  from  tbe  Davidic  line, 
who  after  enduring  great  personal  trials  would  in- 
stitute a  righteous  government,  restore  the  nation 
to  its  old  prosperity,  and  overcome  its  unjust  op- 
pressors. So  that  what  the  New  Testament  con- 
siders a  distinct  prediction  of  the  Messiah  is  mere- 
ly a  jiatriotic  dream.  For  a  thorough  refutation 
of  this  preposterous  theory,  see  Hengstenberg's 
Christolo;/!/,  Appendix  v.  For  a  brief  outline,  see 
Theological  and  Moral,  3. 


DOCTRINAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  Here  is  an  unequivocal  prediction  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  so  declared,  as  we  have 
seen,  by  the  New  Testament.  It  is  confirmed  by 
a  very  peculiar  proceeding  on  the  part  of  our  Lord, 
—  his  trium])hal  entry  into  Jerusalem,  —  which 
was  simply  exhibiting  in  symbol  what  is  here  ex- 
pressed in  words.  It  contains  striking  parallels 
with  other  passages  unquestionably  Messianic ; 
such  as  the  boundaries  of  the  kingdom  compared 
with  Psalm  Ixxii.  8,  and  the  destruction  of  foes 
compared  with  Micah  v.  9.  But  the  strongest  evi- 
dence is  found  in  the  contents  of  the  prophecy  it- 
self It  presents  a  person  in  whom  the  greatest 
grandeur,  magnificence,  power,  and  influence  are 
associated,  without  confusion  or  contradiction,  with 
the  greatest  humility,  gentleness,  poverty,  suffer- 
ing, and  weakness.  No  judge,  king,  or  ruler  of 
any  sort  in  all  Jewish  history  ever  united  in  his 
character  or  experience  these  two  extremes.  None 
was  so  lowly,  none  so  exalted.  None  without 
arms  spoke  peace  even  to  his  own  people,  much  less 
to  the  heathen,  and  least  of  all  to  the  entire  known 
world.  It  is  true  of  only  one  being  in  all  human 
history  that  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head  and 
rode  upon  an  ass,  and  yet  acquired  a  limitless  do- 
minion over  land  and  sea. 

2.  What  other  kings  accomplish  by  force,  Zion's 
king  effects  without  weapons  or  armies.  Our  Lord 
told  Pilate,  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world." 
Pilate  in  surpiise  said  to  Him,  "  Thou  art  a  king 
then  ?  "  Jesu  answered,  "  Thou  sayest  [the  truth], 
for  I  am  a  kii  g.  To  this  end  was  I  born  and  for 
this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  might  bear 
witness  to  the  truth ;  every  one  that  is  of  the  truth 
heareth  my  voice  "  (John  xviii.  37).  Truth,  the 
revealed  truth  of  God,  is  the  only  weapon  this  great 
conqueror  employs,  and  yet  with  it  He  has  built 
up  the  mightiest  kingdom  the  earth  has  ever  seen. 
It  was  an  unconscious  prophecy  when  the  inscrip- 
tion over  his  cross.  This  is  the  King  of  the  Jews, 
was  recorded  in  three  languages,  indicating  the 
comprehensive  and  far-reaching  extent  of  the  spir- 
itual monarchy  thus  founded.  Christ's  followers 
in  different  ages  have  been  slow  to  learn  the  lesson, 
and  have  often  invoked  the  secular  arm,  but  al- 
ways to  their  own  damage.  They  that  take  the 
sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword.  But  the  weap- 
ons which  are  not  carnal  are  mighty  through  God 
They  have  pulled  down  many  a  stronghold,  have 
dismantled  many  an  intellectual  fortress,  and  time 
and  again  have  brought  the  world's  best  thought 
into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ. 

3.  The  "  later  crilicism  "  altogether  denies  tho. 
existence  of  Messianic  prophecies  in  the  sense  in 
whicl    the  historical  Church  has  from  the  betriu 


72 


ZECHARIAH. 


ning  held  that  they  were  contained  in  the  Scrip- 
tares,  This  school  niaiiitaiiis  that  what  is  called 
the  Messianic  idea  arises  out  of  the  dissatisfaction 
which  men  in  every  age  have  had  with  the  exist- 
ing condition  of  things.  Deeming  the  continu- 
ance of  this  inconsistent  with  the  benevolence  of 
God,  they  instinctively  longed  and  looked  for  a  re- 
generation of  humanity,  when  all  things  would  be 
restored  to  the  state  originally  designed  by  the 
Creator.  Hence  the  classic  expectation  of  a  golden 
age.  Moreover,  every  man  is  dissatisfied  with  his 
own  moral  condition  as  well  as  with  that  of  the 
race.  He  is  weak  and  imperfect.  He  does  not 
live  in  harmony  with  what  he  knows  to  be  true 
and  right.  Thence  arises  the  ideal  of  a  perfect 
man,  of  one  whose  whole  mode  of  thought,  feel- 
ing, and  action  is  in  accordance  with  the  highest 
and  purest  truth.  This  is  the  idea  of  the  Messiah 
of  God.  But  as  no  such  Messiah  is  to  be  found 
within  or  around  us,  it  is  natural  to  look  for  Him 
in  the  same  future  in  which  we  expect  the  regen- 
eration of  society.  And  the  more  so  as  we  know 
by  observation  how  much  the  advancement  of  the 
race  has  depended  upon  the  appearance  from  time 
to  time  of  single  persons  distinguished  by  lofty  en- 
dowments. Now  this  Messianic  idea  was  developed 
in  a  very  high  degree  among  the  Jews,  because  they 
had  more  of  the  general  spirit  of  prophecy  than  other 
nations.  The  Hebrew  Prophet  was  a  man  of  genius, 
enthusiasm,  and  intense  moral  energy.  His  pure 
reason,  illumined  of  God,  enabled  him  to  under- 
stand the  character  of  the  divine  government  and 
foresee  events  hidden  from  common  eyes.  His 
exalted  imagination  and  sensitive  conscience  pre- 
sented to  him  the  visions  of  God.  Thus  he  fore- 
saw not  only  the  general  triumph  of  truth  and  the 
exaltation  of  Israel,  but  also  the  means  by  which 
these  were  to  be  obtained,  namely,  the  Messiah, 
which  term  sometimes  means  a  Jewish  King,  at 
others  the  Jewish  people,  and  in  a  third  class  of 
instances,  the  better  portion  of  that  people.  But 
these  predictions  were  always  in  their  nature  sub- 
jective ;  their  authors  neither  had  nor  thought 
fhey  had  any  objective  revelation  made  to  them  of 
actions  or  events  in  the  life  of  any  future  historical 
person.  They  were  great  and  excellent  men,  but 
not  directly  inspired  nor  infallible.  And  all  their 
sayings  can  be  easily  explained  by  the  actings  of 
their  own  minds  according  to  the  time  and  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  were  placed. 

A  detailed  refutation  of  this  ingenious  argument 
would  be  beyond  the  limits  of  a  Commentary.  It 
is  enough  to  say  that  the  parallel  instituted  be- 
tween Ethnic  and  Hebrew  views  on  the  subject 
does  not  hold.  The  former  were  mere  scattered, 
vague,  and  individual  suggestions  respecting  the 
future,  and  even  these,  there  is  good  reason  for 
supposing,  were  mere  echoes  of  the  voice  of  the 
Old  Testament  or  traditions  from  the  primeval 
revelation  which  filtered  down  through  the  ages. 
Among  the  Hebrews,  on  the  contrary,  the  idea  of 
the  Messiah  was  the  central  thought  of  their  Scrip- 
tures and  the  organizing  basis  of  their  national 
existence.  The  statement  of  it  begins  with  the 
protevangelium  in  Genesis,  and  passes  with  a  closer 
definition  and  a  greater  development  through  Noah, 
Abraham,  Jacob,  Moses,  David,  Solomon,  Hosea, 
Joel,  Amos,  Isaiah,  Micah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  Dan- 
iel, Haggai,  and  Zechariah,  and  at  last  terminates 
with  Malachi,  who  closed  the  Hebrew  Canon. 
What  was  at  first  a  promise  to  the  race,  limits  it- 
self in  succession  to  a  nation,  to  a  tribe,  to  a  fam- 
ily. The  person  set  forth  is  described  in  turn  as  a 
prophet,  as  a  priest,  as  a  king,  or  as  a  combina- 


tion of  any  two,  or  of  all  three,  of  these  charac- 
ters ;  and  sometimes  as  in  a  state  of  great  humili- 
ation and  suffering,  and  again,  as  in  a  })Osition  of 
the  greatest  power  and  glory.  And  the  writers  all 
with  one  consent  speak  of  the  conception  not  as  a 
suggestion  of  their  own  minds,  but  as  a  disclosure 
from  without  or  rather  fiom  above.  Their  com- 
mon formula  is,  Thus  saith  the  Lord.  And  it  ia 
not  possible  to  reconcile  their  honesty  with  the 
view  that  they  were  uttering  merely  subjective  no- 
tions. Moreover,  the  origin  and  continuance  of 
the  nation  are  traced  to  the  divine  purpose  of  send- 
ing a  Messiah.  For  this  Abraham  was  called  from 
Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  the  line  of  his  posterity  care- 
fully preserved,  Israel  kept  in  Egypt,  afterwards 
put  in  possession  of  the  promised  land,  the  Mosaic 
economy  instituted,  priests  and  kings  and  proph- 
ets raised  up,  the  nation  long  maintained,  then  ex- 
iled, and  then  restored.  Their  theocratic  consti- 
tution was  not  owing  to  a  blind  and  odious  par- 
ticularism, but  was  the  result  of  God's  wisdom  in 
choosing  one  race  to  be  the  depository  of  the  truth 
and  blessing  destined  one  day  to  be  coextensive 
with  the  race.  The  Jews  were  trustees  for  the 
whole  human  family.  It  pleased  God  to  make  a 
gradual  and  thorough  preparation  through  a  long 
tract  of  ages  for  the  full  and  final  revelation  of 
his  grace.  The  seed  of  Abraham  was  simply  the 
means  by  which  this  preparation  was  accomplished. 
On  this  view  of  their  history,  all  its  parts  and  feat- 
ures are  easily  understood,  and  are  seen  to  consti- 
tute merely  successive  stages  in  the  development 
of  God's  purpose  to  bring  many  sons  unto  glory 
through  a  captain  of  salvation.  On  any  other 
view  it  is  a  mystery  which  baffles  all  thought  and 
comprehension.  But  what  was  a  mystery  before 
the  coming  of  Christ  is  an  "  open  secret "  under 
the  Gospel,  and  the  key  which  fits  all  the  wards 
of  the  lock  must  be  the  right  one.  "  The  testi- 
mony of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy."  The  re- 
markable correspondence  between  his  life,  words, 
and  works,  and  the  hints  and  promises  and  types 
and  predictions  of  the  Old  Testament,  indicate  be- 
yond question  to  any  unprejudiced  person,  a  pre- 
siding mind  which  coordinated  the  two  Testa- 
ments, and  brought  about  that  wondrous  harmony 
of  theme  and  tone  which  is  wholly  unexampled  in 
all  human  literature.  And  this  Messiah  objectively 
revealed  is  not  only  the  link  between  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  and  the  Greek,  but  the  one  great  thought 
which  gives  purpose,  symmetry,  and  consistency  t* 
the  entire  scheme  of  the  Old  Testament. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  Ver.  9.  Christians  should  be  happj . 
No  people  have  a  better  right  or  a  better  reason  tD 
rejoice.  A  suffering  people  can  find  great  comfort 
in  the  fact  that  they  have  a  suffering  Saviour  (Heb. 
iv.  15).  —  Ver.  10.  War  will  cease  on  the  earth 
only  when  wickedness  ceases,  and  wickedness  will 
cease  only  when  Christ's  universal  empire  begins. 

Wordsworth  :  It  is  remarkable  that  St.  John's 
narrative  of  the  triumphal  entry  of  Christ,  riding 
into  Jerusalem  on  the  foal  of  an  ass,  is  immediate- 
ly followed  by  the  mention  of  an  incident  in  the 
history  :  "  Certain  Greeks  wished  to  see  Jesus." 
The  entry  itself  was  like  a  vision  of  the  coming  of 
the  Gentile  world  to  Jesus  ;  these  Greeks  were  iu 
first  fruits. 

Jno.  Newton  :  Messiah  is  king  of  Zioa 
Happy  the  subjects  who  dwell  under  his  shadow 
He  rules  them  not  with  the  rod  of  iron  by  whick 


CHAPTER  IX.  11-17.  (2 


He  bruises  and  breaks  the  power  of  his  enemies, 
but  with  his  golden  sceptre  of  love.  Ho  reigns  by 
his  own  right,  and  by  their  full  and  free  consent, 
in  their  hearts.  He  reigns  upon  a  throne  of  grace 
to  which  they  at  all  times  have  access,  and  from 


whence  they  receive  the  pardon  jf  all  their  sins 
grace  to  help  in  time  of  need,  and  a  renewed  sup- 
ply answerable  to  all  *heir  wants,  cares,  services, 
and  conflicts. 


3.  VICTORY  07ER  THE  SONS  OF  JAVAN. 
Chapter  IX.    11-17. 


A    Deliverance  promised  (vers.   11,  12).     B.   Name  of  the  Foe  (ver.  13).     C.   Jehovah  fightt  for  ku 

Peop/e  (vtrs.  14, 15).     D.    baJvution  (\qv.\(>).     E.    General  Prosjierili/ {ver  17). 

11  As  for  thee  also,  —  for  the  sake  of  thy  covenant-blood,^ 

I  send  forth  ^  thy  prisoners  from  the  pit  wherein  is  no  water. 

12  Return  to  the  strong  hold,^  O  prisoners  of  hope. 
Even  to-day  I  declare,  I  will  repay  double  ■*  to  you. 

13  For  ^  I  bend  for  me  Judah,  fill  the  bow  ^  with  Ephraim, 
And  stir  up  thy  sons,  O  Zion,  against  thy  sons,  0  Javan, 
And  make  thee  like  the  sword  of  a  hero. 

14  And  Jehovah  shall  appear  above  them. 
And  like  lightning  shall  his  arrow  go  forth, 
And  the  Lord  Jehovah  shall  blow  the  trumpet 
And  go  forth  in  the  storms  of  the  South. 

15  Jehovah  of  Hosts  shall  protect  ^  them. 

And  they  devour,  and  tread  down  sling-stones,* 

And  they  drink  and  make  a  noise  as  from^  wine, 

And  become  full  as  the  sacrificial  bowl,'"  as  the  corners  of  the  altar, 

16  And  Jehovah  their  God  saves  them  in  that  day, 
(Saves)  like  a  flock  "  his  people, 

For  jewels  of  a  crown  shall  they  be. 
Sparkling  over  his  land, 

17  For  how  great  is  his  goodness,  and  how  great  his  beauty  ! 
Corn  makes  the  young  men  thrive,'^  and  new  wine  the  maidens. 

TEXTDAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL.  > 

\  Ver.  11.  —  /m3,  being  in  thy  coTenant-blood  =  being  sprinkled  with  it.  The  covenant  of  Jehovah  with  his  f«o- 
pie  was  sealed  with  sprinkled  blood.  Ex.  xxiv.  8.  The  compound  term  covenant-blood  best  represents  the  form  and 
ftxve  of  the  original  phra.se. 

2  Ver.  11.  —  ^j*nn  vtZ7  is  the  common  prophetic  preterite. 

8  Ver.  12. —  pn5J3,  a  cut  o/f  place,  h.  inaccessible,  fortified,  oxvpwjiia  (LXX.),  munitio  (Vulg.). 

4  Ver.  12.  —  n3tt7tt.  Pressel  seems  to  be  alone  in  giving  to  this  word  the  sense,  the  second  place.  The  rendering  of 
the  E.  V.  is  sustained  both  by  usage  and  the  connection. 

6  Ver  13.  —  The  E.  V.  needlessly  continues  here  the  sentence  of  the  previous  verse,  and  renders  ^3  when.  A  literal 
rendering  is  at  once  more  forcible  and  more  accurate. 

6  Ver.  13.  —  iHtt^p,  Some  connect  this  with  what  precedes,  but  nothing  is  gained  by  departing  from  the  Masoreti* 
Interpuuction. 

7  Ver.  16.  —  ^S"*  =  covers  protectingly.   Cf.  xii.  8. 

8  Ver.  15.  —  "  With  sling-stones,"  in  the  text  of  E.  V.,  introduces  a  needless  preposition.  The  marginal  rendering  it 
to  be  preferred. 

9  Ver.  15. —  ^''^"ITSp  is  an  abbreviated  comparison.    Cf.  x.  7. 

10  Ver.  15.  —  "  Sacrificial  bowl."  The  quall/ying  epithet  must  be  introduced  in  order  to  give  the  full  force  of  p"1T?3, 
W  xiv.  20.  ''' 

11  Ver.  16.  —  The  E.  V.  "  flock  of  his  people,"  is  grammatically  impossible. 

\'i  Ver.  17.  —  33'12\  The  first  marginal  rendering  of  the  E.  V.,  make  grow,  is  better  than  its  text,  make  cheetfiU 
Ae  word  is  derived  from  the  sprouting  of  plants,  and  evidently  refers  to  a  prolific  increase.  Furst  gii  es  to  m  ike  eU 
juent,  which  is  conjectural  and  inept. 


74 


ZECHARIAH. 


CBITICAL  AND  EXEGETICAL. 

A  new  scene  opens.  The  prophet  turns  away 
from  the  beautiful  picture  of  a  peaceful  king  ex- 
tending his  beneficent  sway  over  all  the  earth,  to 
describe  a  period  of  distress  and  weakness,  to 
which,  however,  he  gives  a  promise  of  full  deliver- 
ance, to  be  gained  by  actual  conflict.  This  war- 
like periotl  evidently  belongs  to  a  nearer  future  than 
the  one  just  described,  and  the  prevalent  opinion 
justly  refers  it  to  the  Maccabean  age.  The  pas- 
sage begins  with  a  general  assurance  of  deliver- 
ance (vers.  11,  12) ;  the  foe  is  mentioned  by  name 
(ver.  13)  ;  the  Lord  fights  for  his  chosen  (vers.  14, 
15);  the  result  is  salvation  (ver.  16);  this  is  fol- 
lowed by  general  prosperity  (ver.  17). 

Vers.  11,  12  contain  a  promise  of  deliverance. 
As  for  thee  also.  The  person  addressed  is  the 
whole  nation,  as  is  apparent  from  the  mention  of 
Ephraim  and  Jerusalem  in  ver.  10,  and  of  Zion  in 
ver.  13,  and  also  from  the  phrase  "  blood  of  the 
covenant,"  which  belonged  to  the  twelve  tribes  ; 

see  Ex.  xxiv.  8.  PS"C2,  even  thou,  stands  abso- 
lutely at  the  head  of  the  sentence  for  the  sake  of 
emphasis  (cf.  Gen.  xlix.  8),  and  the  sense  is,  Even 
though  you  are  in  such  a  forlorn  condition,  seem- 
ingly lost,  yet  I  have  mercy  in  store  for  you.  The 
ground  of  this  promise  is  stated  before  the  prom- 
ise itself,  in  the  peculiar  Mosaic  expression  cove- 
nant blood,  the  force  of  which  is  well  expressed 
by  Hengstenberg.  "  The  covenant-blood,  which 
still  separates  the  Church  from  the  world,  was  a 
sure  pledge  to  the  covenant  nation  of  deliverance 
out  of  all  trouble,  provided,  that  is,  that  the  nation 
did  not  make  the  promises  of  God  nugatory  by 
wickedly  violating  the  conditions  He  had  imposed." 
Thy  prisoners  resumes  and  explains  the  thou  at 
the  opening  of  the  verse.  It  does  not  mean  "  such 
of  the  Jews  as  were  still  captives  in  foreign  lands  " 
(Henderson,  Kohler),  but  the  entire  people.  The 
pit  without  water,  an  allusion  to  the  history  of 
Joseph  (Gen.  xxxvii.  24),  denotes  not  so  much  a 
condition  of  captivity  as  of  general  distress.  The 
escape  from  this  condition  to  one  of  security  and 
prosperity  is  predicted  under  the  form  of  a  com- 
mand, Return  to  the  strong  hold.  See  the  same 
figure  in  Ps.  xl.  2,  where  the  rock  and  the  pit  are 
put  in  sharp  contrast.  Since  the  people  had  this 
prospect,  they  were  justly  entitled  prisoners  of  hope, 
a  beautiful  expression  which  explains  itself.  Even 
to-day,  /.  e.,  in  spite  of  all  threatening  circum- 
stances (Ewald,  Hengstenberg).  Repay  double, 
namely,  double  the  prosperity  you  formerly  en- 
joyed.  Cf.  Is.  xl.  2,  xli.  7. 

Ver.  13.  The  prophet  proceeds  to  show  more 
particularly  how  the  deliverance  just  promised  is 
to  be  effected.  It  is  to  be  by  a  glorious  victory  over 
their  oppressors.  'I'he  method  of  this  victory  is 
represented  by  a  bold  and  beautiful  figure.  Judah 
is  the  extended  bow  ;  Ephraim  the  arrow  which 
the  Lord  shouts  at  the  foe.  Isrs^el  therefore  is  to 
carry  on  the  conflict,  and  Jehovah  to  give  them 
success.  For  I  bend  for  me  Judah,  i-  e.,  as  a  bow. 
The  word  rendered  bend,  literally  means  tread;  be- 
cause a  bow  was  often  stretched  by  setting  the  foot 
upon  it,  this  term  came  into  use.  Fill  the  laow.  As 
only  one  arrow  can  be  shot  at  a  time  from  a  bow, 
it  is  full  when  this  is  placed  upon  it.  The  complete 


1  ''  The  beauty  of  the  Lord,"  in  Ps.  xc.  17,  represents  a 
Ufierent  word  ( d 


sense  of  both  clauses  is,  Judah  and  Ephraim  ar« 
bow  and  arrow  in  the  hand  of  Jehovah.  I  stir  up, 
not  brandish  as  a  lance  (Hitzig,  Kohler),  which 
would  reijuire  the  object  to  be  expressed.  Javan, 
the  name  of  the  fourth  son  of  Japhet  (Gen.  x.  2), 
is  the  Hebrew  word  for  Greece,  usually  i'Jentified 
with  Ion  or  Ionia.  Some  suppose  the  persons 
meant  by  the  sons  of  Zion  are  the  Hebrews  held  as 
slaves  in  Greece  (Ewald,  Hitzig),  who  are  now  in- 
cited to  insurrection.  It  is  enough  to  say  in  reply 
that  the  contest  here  spoken  of  is  manifestly  carried 
on  in  the  Lord's  own  land.  A  comparison  with 
Dan.  viii.  21  shows  that  we  must  regard  Greeca 
here  as  a  formidable  secular  power,  the  Grajco- 
Macedonian  monarchy,  especially  in  its  successor 
in  Syria,  the  Seleucidai  To  refer  the  passage  to 
the  days  of  Uzziah  on  account  of  the  mention  of 
Greece  in  Joel  iv.  6  (cf.  Amos  i.  6,  9),  is  wholly 
unreasonable  ;  since  that  passage  does  not  allude 
to  any  conflict  with  the  Greeks,  but  simply  speaks 
of  them  as  the  parties  to  whom  the  Tyrians  had 
sold  certain  Jewish  captives.  And  it  is  the  Tyr- 
ians, not  the  Greeks,  who  are  there  censured. 

Ver.  14.  Will  appear  above  them,  because  He 
fights  from  heaven  on  their  behalf.  The  remainder 
of  the  verse  is  a  poetical  description  of  a  battle  in 
the  imagery  of  a  tempest.  The  lightnings  are  Je- 
hovah's arrows,  the  thunderblast  is  the  signal  of 
his  trumpet,  and  He  Himself  marches  in  a  ftirious 
storm  sweeping  up  from  the  great  southern  desert. 
Storms  of  the  South  (cf.  Is.  xxi.  1 ;  Hos.  xiii.  15) 
were  always  the  most  violent. 

Ver.  15.  Jehovah  shall  protect,  etc.  The  Lord 
not  only  fights  for  his  people,  but  is  also  their 
shield,  covering  their  heads  in  the  day  of  battle. 
And  they  devour,  etc.  The  image  is  that  of  a 
lion  who  eats  the  flesh  and  drinks  the  blood  of  his 
victim.  Cf.  Num.  xxiii.  24.  The  figure  is  vigorous, 
but  need  not  be  called  "  a  heathenish  abomination  " 
( Pressel).  Tread  down  sling  stones  =  subdue  the 
enemy,  contemptuously  styled  sling-stones  or  mere 
pebbles  from  the  brook.  Flesh  is  to  be  supplied  as 
the  object  of  devour,  and  blood  as  that  of  drink. 
The  vessel  mentioned  in  the  last  clause  denotes,  not 
any  bowl,  but  one  in  which  the  priests  catch  the 
blood  of  a  sacrifice.  Corners,  of  course,  include 
the  horns  which  stood  upon  them.  These  figures 
are  priestly,  and  intimate  a  holy  war  and  victory. 

Ver.  16  gives  the  result  of  this  victory,  —  salva- 
tion. By  an  exquisite  change  of  figure  this  is  rep- 
resented as  bestowed  upon  them  in  the  character 
of  the  Lord's  flock,  which  at  once  suggests  the 
peaceful  blessings  recounted  in  the  23d  Psalm. 
In  the  next  clause,  with  a  designed  antithesis  to 
the  sling  stones  in  the  previous  verse,  the  prophet 
compares  Zion's  sons  to  jewels  of  a  crown,  which 
sparkle  over  his  land,  i.  e.,  Jehovah's.  Hengsten- 
berg takes  the  participle  here  in  the  same  way  as 
in  Ps.  Ix.  6  =  rising  up.  But,  as  Keil  says,  crown 
stones  do  not  lift  themselves  up.  It  is  better  to  take 
the  word  in  the  sense  of  shining,  glittering  (Ewald, 
Maurer,  Kohler,  Fiirst).  The  reference  is  to  pre- 
cious gems  set  in  a  ciown  and  flashing  from  the 
brow  of  a  conqueror  as   he  stalks  over   the  land 

Ver.  17.  For  how  great,  etc.  The  passage  closes 
with  an  exulting  exclamation.  The  pronouns  in  the 
first  clause  refer  to  Jehovah  (Hengstenberg,  Ewald, 
Pressel),  but  mean  the  goodness  and  the  beauty 
which  He  bestows  (Henderson).  This  avoids  the 
difficultv  of  ascribing   beauty  to  the   Lord,i  and 


thus  :   May  the  loveliness  of  Jehovah  —  all  that  rendtn 
Him  an  object  of  affection  and  desire  —  be  /uade  known  ti 
which,  however,  is   best   explained  |  ^g  |„  ^uy  experience.   Cf.  Ps.  xxvii.  4. 


CHAT  TER  IX.  11-17. 


7e 


yet  retains  the  full  force  of  the  apostrophe.  Corn 
and  new  wine  are  the  customary  expressions  of 
ttbundaiice  (Deut.  xxxiii.  28  ;  Ps.  iv.  8),  and  are 
here  rhetorically  divided  l)etween  the  youths  and 
the  maidens.  Copious  supplies  of  food  lead  to  a 
japid  increase  of  population.  Ps.  Ixxii.  16.  "  The 
drinking  of  must  by  young  females  is  peculiar  to 
this  passaue ;  but  its  being  here  expressly  sanc- 
tioned by  divine  authority,  furnishes  an  unanswer- 
able argument  against  those  who  would  interdict 
all  use  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine"  (Henderson). 
"  We  know  that  when  there  is  but  a  small  supply 
of  wine,  it  ought  by  right  of  age  to  be  reserved  for 
the  old,  but  when  wine  so  overflows  that  young 
men  and  young  women  may  freely  drink  of  it,  it 
is  a  proof  of  great  abundance  "  (Calvin). 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  Few  words  are  so  precious  to  a  devout  be- 
liever as  covenant.  It  suggests  thoughts  of  grace, 
privilege,  and  .security  which  are  not  easily  attained 
in  any  other  way.  Our  trust  for  this  world  and 
the  next  rests  not  upon  voices  of  nature  or  con- 
clusions of  reason,  but  upon  the  promise  of  God, 
—  a  promise  which  He  has  chosen  to  present  in  the 
Sorm  of  a  compact  with  stipulations  (and  some- 
times even  when  the  stipulations  were  all  on  one 
side,  Gen.  ix.  9),  and  not  only  so,  but  to  confirm 
it  by  sacrifice.  This  was  vividly  set  before  Israel 
when  the  law  was  given  on  Sinai.  Moses  sprinkled 
the  blood  of  the  offerings  both  upon  the  altar  and 
upon  the  people,  saying,  "  Behold  the  blood  of  the 
covenant  which  Jehovah  has  made  with  you  con- 
cerning all  these  words."  Now  it  is  true  that  the 
Mosaic  dispensation  was  a  national  compact  with 
the  Hebrew  people,  and  that  it  also  contained  a 
complete  and  absolute  rule  of  human  duty,  but  be- 
sides these  aspects  it  was  a  covenant  of  grace,  rep- 
resenting the  merciful  provision  God  had  made  for 
the  salvation  of  his  people,  and  in  this  sense  its  re- 
lation to  the  Gospel  economy  was  that  of  sunrise  to 
the  blaze  of  noon.  It  confii'med  the  i)romise  made 
to  Abraham,  and  rendered  the  believer's  hope  still 
more  firm  and  clear,  as  resting  upon  an  immutable 
bond.  The  force  of  that  bond  continued  unim- 
paired down  through  the  generations.  "  The  Lord 
made  not  this  covenant  with  our  fathers  [only], 
but  with  us,  even  us,  who  are  all  of  us  here  alive 
this  day  "  (Deut.  v. 3).  Again  and  again,  in  times 
of  emergency  or  doubt,  did  the  Old  Testament 
saints  reassure  their  souls  and  reanimate  their 
hopes  by  recurring  to  that  old  covenant,  "  the 
word  which  He  commanded  for  a  thousand  gener- 
ations" (Ps.  cv.  8).  They  might  be  involved  in 
gloom  and  pcrple.xity,  and  the  eye  of  sense  could 
see  no  way  out ;  but  they  knew  that  God  had  made 
with  them  a  covenant  ordered  in  all  things  and 
sure,  and  this  was  all  their  salvation,  and  all  their 
desire.  The  same  blessed  assurance  continues  to 
believers  under  the  Gospel.  Nay,  it  is  stronger 
low,  for  we  have  the  blood  of  a  new  covenant 
(Mark  xiv.  24),  i.  e.,  of  a  new  administration  of 
the  old  covenant,  to  confirm  our  faith.  The  cove- 
■tajit  blood,  on  which  the  faith  of  Christians  lays 
aold,  is  not  that  of  bulls  and  goats,  but  of  a 
iamb  without  spot,  not  the  crimson  stream  of  a 
typical  sacrifice,  but  that  which  jioured  from  the 
gaping  wounds  of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God.  The 
jompact  which  has  been  ratified  by  such  an  obla- 
tion as  was  made  at  Golgotha,  is  necessarily  im- 
perishable. It  can  never  fail.  The  blood  of  the 
cross  's  the  blood  of  an  everlasting  covenant  (Ileb. 


xiii.  20).  Here  the  devout  soul  rests  in  peace  and 
security.  The  malice  of  the  world,  the  roar  of 
Satan,  the  clamor  of  conscience,  all  are  still  before 
the  thought  of  the  pledged  and  ratified  word  of 
Jehovah.  The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth, 
but  the  Word  of  our  God  abideth  forever.  The 
Strength  of  Israel  will  not  lie  nor  repent ;  for  He 
is  not  a  man  that  He  should  repent. 

2.  This  portion  of  the  chapter  presents  a  re- 
markable contrast  to  the  two  verses  which  precede 
it.  There  we  read  of  an  eminently  peaceful  king 
under  whom  all  weapons  of  war  are  destroyed. 
Without  noise  or  conflict  he  quietly  extends  his 
dominion  till  it  becomes  universal.  Here,  on  the 
contrary,  Judah  is  the  Lord's  bow  and  Ephraim 
his  arrow,  and  tliere  is  a  terrible  struggle  set  forth 
by  images  taken  from  the  storm,  the  lightning,  and 
the  whirlwind.  The  language  is  not  an  exagger 
ation  of  what  occurred  in  the  heroic  struggle  for 
Judsean  independence  under  the  sons  of  the  aged 
priest  Mattathias.  That  struggle  was  essentially 
a  religious  one.  It  began  in  a  determined  resist- 
ance to  the  attempt  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  to  ex- 
terminate the  faith  of  the  Jews  and  impose  the  im- 
pure and  idolatrous  worship  of  the  Greeks  ;  and 
although  other  elements  were  developed  in  the 
course  of  time,  this  always  was  the  chief  consider- 
ation. During  the  course  of  it,  the  "  good  report 
through  faith"  of  which  the  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews speaks  (xi.  36-39),  was  obtained  by  many 
who  "  were  tortured,  not  accepting  deliverance 
that  they  might  obtain  a  better  resurrection. 
Others  had  trial  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourgings, 
yea,  moreover,  of  bonds  and  imprisonments.  They 
were  stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  they  wera 
slain  with  the  sword."  The  atrocities  of  heathen 
persecution  roused  a  flame  which  was  irresistible. 
Neither  Antiochus  nor  any  of  his  sitccessors  on 
the  Syrian  throne  was  able  to  subdue  the  zeal  of 
the  jews  for  their  ancestral  faith.  Again  and 
again  the  armies  of  the  alien  were  put  to  rout  in 
pitched  battles,  and  veterans  of  many  a  well-fought 
field  were  no  match  for  men  who  fought  for  God 
as  well  as  their  native  land.  The  Maccabees  really 
earned  the  name  (Maccabceus  =  hammerer)  by 
which  they  are  now  generally  known,  and  al- 
though disregarded  by  the  haughty  heathen,  still 
they  shine  as  jewels  of  a  crown  among  all  disin- 
terested observers.  "  None  have  surpassed  them  in 
accomplishing  a  great  end  with  inadequate  means; 
none  ever  united  more  generous  valor  with  a  bet- 
ter cause  "  (Milman).  They  began  with  a  few  per- 
sonal followers,  and  they  ended  with  a  strong  and 
well-organized  nation.  The  struggle  lasted  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  (b.  c.  168-143),  and  notwith- 
standing the  unequal  resources  of  the  parties,  Jeho- 
vah of  Hosts  made  feeble  Jews  like  the  sword  of  a 
hero,  while  the  mailed  warriors  of  Syria  were  trod- 
den down  like  the  small  stones  of  a  sling. 

3.  For  more  than  one  half  of  the  four  centuries 
which  elapsed  between  the  close  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  opening  of  the  New,  the  history  of 
the  Jews  is  almost  a  total  blank,  and  of  the  other 
half  there  is  much  less  information  to  be  drawn 
from  Ethnic  sources  than  might  have  been  antici- 
pated. But  it  is  very  apparent  from  many  scat- 
tered indications  that  Israel  had  often  occasion  to 
say,  How  great  is  his  goodness  and  how  great  his 
beauty  !  The  population  multiplied  with  a  rapid- 
ity like  that  of  their  forefathers  in  Egypt.  The  few 
fieeble  struggling  colonists  gradually  emerged  into 
a  strong,  energetic,  and  well-organized  common- 
wealth. Their  land  resumed  its  ancient  fertility. 
Just  as  in  the  palmy  days  of  old,  its  rocki  wer« 


T6 


ZECHAKIAH. 


crowned  with  mould  and  its  sands  covered  with 
verdure,  and  a  wide-spread  commerce  on  both  seas 
furnished  the  conditions  of  growing  wealth.  At 
the  same  time  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  or  a  love  of 
adventure,  led  many  to  distribute  themselves  all 
over  the  Roman  world,  so  that  there  was  scarcely 
a  province  either  in  the  east  or  the  west,  where 
they  were  not  found  in  numbers.  Still  in  every 
quarter,  under  every  form  of  government,  and  in 
the  midst  of  every  social  system,  they  retained 
their  national  fiiith  and  usages  with  unconquer- 
able tenacity.  This  was  manifested  not  only  by  a 
persistent  refusal  to  amalgamate  with  the  various 
peoples  among  whom  they  lived,  but  by  their  reg- 
ular and  liberal  contributions  to  the  temple.  A 
curious  illustration  of  the  latter  is  seen  in  the  fact 
mentioned  by  Cicero,  that  Flaccus  was  compelled 
to  forbid  such  offerings  from  the  province  of  Asia, 
because  the  enormous  export  of  gold  affected  the 
markets  of  the  world.  Thus  even  the  emigrating 
Jews  contributed  to  the  prosperity  of  those  who 
remained  at  home.  It  is  evident  then  that  the 
statements  of  increase  contained  in  this  chapter 
and  the  one  that  follows  were  verified  to  the  letter. 
Parts  of  the  land  W2re  as  thickly  settled  as  any 
portions  of  modern  Pkirope.  And  notwithstand- 
ing all  the  outward  conflicts  in  which  they  were 
engaged,  or  the  suffering  they  may  have  experi- 
enced from  the  contentions  of  rival  kingdoms 
around,  "corn  made  the  young  men  thrive,  and 
new  wine  the  maidens,"  and  the  covenant  people 
were  preserved  in  their  integrity  and  distinctness, 
until  He  came,  for  whose  appearing  they  had  been 
appointed  and  preserved  for  more  than  twenty  cen- 
turies. 

HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore:  Ver.  11.  The  covenant  love  of  God 
and  his  faithful  promises  that  are  sealed  with  blood 
are  the  hope  of  the  Church  in  time  of  trouble.  — 
Ver.  12.  Let  sinners  who  are  also  prisoners  of 
hope,  turn  to  the  stronghold  Christ,  ere  it  be  for- 


ever too  late,  and  God  will  give  thera  a  dovbU 
blessing. 

Pressel  :  Vers.  II,  12.  How  wide  is  the  range 
of  God's  covenant  with  :nan !  It  extends  so  far 
that  it  forms,  as  our  Lord  said  to  the  Sadducees 
the  immovable  basis  of  our  hope  of  eternal  life. 
But  if  the  salvation  of  this  covenant,  whether  in 
its  older  or  newer  form,  is  ever  to  become  ours, 
the  first  condition  and  the  last  is  —  Turn  to  the 
strong  }wld,  ye  prisoners  of  hope.  Again:  (1)  Thera 
is  no  imprisonment  without  hope,  for  the  cove- 
nant-blood speaks  louder  than  our  sins,  and  the 
Lord  can  break  every  fetter;  but  (2)  There  is  no 
hope  without  conversion,  for  without  conversion 
we  are  still  in  the  pit  without  water,  and  fall  short 
of  the  strong-hold  which  alone  secures  return  to 
fellowship  with  God. 

CowLES  :  Ver.  12.  It  is  altogether  the  way  of 
the  Lord  to  send  grief  and  affliction  only  in  single 
measure,  but  joy  and  blessing  in  double,  weighing 
out  the  retributions  of  justice  carefully,  and  the 
inflictions  of  his  rod  very  tenderly  ;  but  pouring 
forth  the  bounties  of  his  mercy  as  if  He  could  not 
think  of  measuring  them  by  any  rule  less  than  the 
impulses  of  infinite  love ! 

Wordsworth.  [This  learned  man  spiritual- 
izes the  entire  passage,  but  is  not  quoted  here,  be- 
cause, as  Hengstenberg  says,  "  While  the  outward 
conflict  was  undoubtedly  the  prelude  of  a  still 
grander  conflict  between  Israel  and  Greece,  to  be 
fought  with  spiritual  weapons,  it  is  opposed  to  all 
the  principles  of  sound  interpretation  to  refer  the 
words  immediately  to  the  latter."] 

Jay  :  Ver.  16.  Here  we  see  the  dignity  of  thv! 
Lord's  people.  They  are  "  stones,"  precious  stones, 
set  in  the  "  crown  '  of  the  King  of  kings.  Hera 
is  also  their  exhibition  ;  these  stones  of  a  crown 
are  "lifted  up."  They  are  not  to  be  concealed. 
Here  is  also  their  utility ;  these  stones  are  to  be 
lifted  up  "  as  an  ensign  upon  the  land."  An  ori- 
flamme  suspended  over  the  royal  tent ;  designed 
to  attract  followers  to  the  cause  in  which  he  is  en* 


4.  FURTHER  BLESSINGS  OF  GOD'S  PEOPLE. 


Chapter  X. 

A.    God  sends  Blessing,  but  the  Idols  Sorrow  (vers.  1,2).     B.    Blessings  upon  native  Rulers  {vert.  S-m), 
C.  Former  Mercies  restored  loJudah  and  Ephraim  (vers.  6-9).    D.  Messianic  Mercies  (vers.  10- 1>). 

1  Ask  of  Jehovah  rain  in  the  time  of  the  latter  rain ; 
Jehovah  creates  lightnings, 

And  showers  of  rain  ^  will  He  give  them, 
To  every  one  grass  in  the  field. 

2  For  the  teraphim  ^  have  spoken  vanity, 
And  the  diviners  have  seen  a  lie, 

And  speak  dreams  of  deceit, 
They  comfort  m  vain  ; 

Therefore  they  have  wandered  ^  like  a  flock, 
They  are  oppressed  ^  because  there  is  no  shepherd. 
8  Against  the  shepherds  my  anger  is  kindled, 
And  the  he-goats  will  I  punish  ;  ^ 
For  Jehovah  of  Hosts  visits  his  flock,  the  house  of  Jndah, 


CHAPTER  X.  1-12. 


77 


And  makes  them  like  his  goodly  horse  in  war. 

4  From  him  the  corner-stone,  from  him  the  nail, 

From  him  the  war-bow,  from  him  will  every  riiler®  come  forth  together 

5  And  they  shall  be  like  heroes  treading  down  [t. «.,  foes] 
Into  the  mire  of  the  streets  in  the  battle  ; 

And  they  fight,  for  Jehovah  is  with  them, 
And  the  riders  on  horses  are  put  to  shame/ 

6  And  I  will  strengthen  the  house  of  Judah, 
And  the  house  of  Joseph  will  save, 

And  will  make  them  dwell,*  because  I  pity  them, 
And  they  shall  be  as  if  I  had  not  cast  them  off, 
For  I  am  Jehovah  their  God,  and  will  hear  them. 

7  And  Ephraim  ^  shall  become  like  a  hero. 
And  their  heart  shall  rejoice  as  with  wine. 
And  their  sons  shall  see  and  rejoice. 
Their  heart  shall  exult  in  Jehovah. 

8  I  will  hiss  to  them  and  gather  them. 
For  I  have  redeemed  them. 

And  they  shall  increase  as  they  did  increase  [before] 

9  And  I  will  sow  ^°  them  among  the  peoples  ^^ 
And  in  far  countries  they  shall  remember  me, 
And  with  their  children  they  shall  live  and  return. 

rO  And  I  will  bring  them  back  from  the  land  of  Egypt, 

And  from  Assyria  will  I  gather  them, 

And  to  the  land  of  Gilead  and  Lebanon  will  I  bring  them« 

And  room  shall  not  be  found  for  them.^^ 
■•1  And  He  passes  through  the  sea,  the  affliction,^^ 

And  He  smites  the  waves  in  the  sea. 

And  all  the  depths  of  the  Nile  are  put  to  shame ; 

And  the  pride  of  Assyria  is  brought  down, 

And  the  sceptre  of  Egypt  shall  depart. 
"2  And  I  will  strengthen  them  in  Jehovah, 

And  in  his  name  shall  they  walk,"  saith  Jehovah. 

TEXTUAL  AND   GRAMMATICAL. 
1  Ver  1   —  Dt!l7!l""1ttP    lit.,  rain  of  rain  =  copious  rains.    See  Job  xxxvii.  6,  where  the  words  are  transpoeed.  •  -Thi 

Vit  of  the  B.  V.  gives  a  singularly  inappropriate  rendering  of  the  previous  noun  2'^T'^Tn,  for  what  consistency  is  theie 

between  "  bright  clouds  "  and  heavy  showers  ? 

■2  Ver  2. C'^D'^n,    As  this  word  denotes  a  peculiar  species  of  idolatrous  image,  it  is  best  to  transfer  It 

8  Ver.  2. 5)37D3,  lit-,  break  up,  as  an  encampment,  h.  to  wander      They,  t.  e.,  the  people. 

4  Ver.  2.  —  5^3^^  oppressed,  sorely  afflicted.  The  troubled  of  the  E.  V.  is  too  feeble.  The  tense  is  future,  implying 
^at  the  condition  still  exists. 

5  Ver.  3.  —  There  is  a  play  here  upon  the  two  meanings  of  the  word  ^|22,  the  one  to  care  for,  the  other  to  punish, 
or  in  general  to  visit,  for  good  or  for  ill.  Jehovah  visits  for  evil,  i.  e.,  punishes,  the  goats  ;  but  visits  for  good,  i.  e.,  cares 
for,  his  flock.  Keil,  Henderson,  and  Cowles  err  in  saying  that  the  meaning  to  punish  requires  to  be  followed  by  "^V 
{ler*.  See  Job  xxxi.  14  ;  Is.  xxvi  14.  Henderson  (following  the  E.  V.)  makes  the  extraordinary  mistake  of  rendering 
Ti'^iTS  as  a  preterite,  and  claiming  the  vav  before  b3?  as  a  vav  convers.  He  also  renders  ^D  =  nevertheless,  a  mean- 
ing which  it  never  has. 

5  Ver.  4.  —  Ji7ib  =ruler,  as  in  Is.  iii.  12,  Ix.  17.  Hengstenberg  insists  upon  the  original  meaning,  (tpFfessar,  but 
thinks  the  harshness  implied  is  directed  against  foes. 

7  Ver.  6. -Itr^Zl"'.    The  Hiphil  takes  a  passive  sense,  just  as  in  ix.  5. 

8  Ver.  6.  —  ;Z^niz:l'''in.  This  anomalous  form  is  best  explained  as  the  Hiphil  of  3T*"'^  for  C"'n3I?''irT.  (Qe». 
enius,  Hengstenberg,  Maurer).  Ewald  derives  it  from  H^T,  and  Kimchi  explains  it  aa  a  compound  of  both  words  unit- 
ing the  senses  of  both,  as  in  the  E.  V.,  "  I  will  bring  them  again  to  place  them."  But  it  is  far  better  to  Interpret  it  lik« 
the  similar  form  in  Ezek.  xxxvi.  11,  than  to  adopt  this  Rabbinical  refinement,  which  has  no  precedent  elsewhere. 

9  Ver.  7.  —  -Vni.     As  Ephraim  is  a  collective  noun,  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  for  the  periphrasis  of  the  B.  V 

tA«y  o/ Ephraim." 

10  Vet.  9.  —  Henderson's  rendering,  "Though  I  have   scattered  them,  .         .  yet  they  shall," etc.,  is  grammaticaUJ 


78 


ZECHARIAH. 


Impossible,  is  opposed  to  the  true  sense  of  27JIT,  and  U  not  required  by  the  context.    His  "  dirant  regions  "  is  !sc  im 
provement  upon  the  E.  V.'s  "far  countries." 

11  Ver.  9.  —  C^TS^^    Peoples.     See  on  viii.  20. 

12  Ver   10.  —  S!i^^    S^.    Cf.  Josh.  xvii.  16.     (The  necessary  room)  shall  not  be  found  for  them. 

13  Ver.  11.  —  rT~1^  is  best  taken  as  in  apposition  to  the  preceding  noun.  To  make  it  a  verb  meaning  to  cleave,  aftei 
an  Aramaic  analogy  (Maurer,  Henderson,  et  al.),  is  far-fetched  and  needless.  As  a  noun,  it  serves  to  show  that  the  pro- 
tIous  noun  does  not  mean  a  literal  sea,  but  affliction  represented  under  that  figure. 

14  Ver.  12.  —  ^D-  i^n^.  '^^^  fo^<=^  "^  ^^^  Hithpael  conjugation  here  is  to  express  more  distinctly  than  the  Kal, 
the  idea  of  continuous  habitual  action.     For  the  sentiment,  cf.  Micah  iy.  5,  where,  however,  Kal  forms  are  used. 


EXEGETICAL   AND  CRITICAL. 

This  chapter  does  not  commence  a  fresh  train 
of  thouj,^ht,  but  is  rather  an  expansion  of  the  fore- 
going prophecy.  First,  there  is  a  promise  of  rain 
and  fruitful  seasons  (ver.  1)  ;  a  reference  to  idol- 
atry as  cause  of  their  afflictions  (vers.  2,  3  a)  ;  de- 
liverance by  God's  blessing-  upon  native  rulers  (vers. 
3  b,  4,  5)  ;  restoration  of  ancient  mercies  (ver.  6)  ; 
special  mention  of  P^phraim  as  participating  in  the 
growth  and  enlargement  promised  to  the  whole 
people  (vers.  7-9) ;  farther  promises  to  the  nation 
couched  in  historic  allusions  to  their  foinier  experi- 
ence, and  fulfilled  only  in  the  Messiah's  kingdom 
(vers.  10-12).  Some  maintain  that  ver.  1  belongs  to 
the  preceding  chapter,  and  ought  not  to  have  been 
separated  from  it  (Hengstenberg),  while  others 
affirm  the  same  of  ver.  2  also  (llofmann,  Kohler) ; 
but  ver.  2  is  plainly  as  closely  connected  with  ver. 
3  as  it  is  with  ver.  I .  The  question  is  of  no  impor- 
tance to  the  interpretation. 

Ver.  1.  Ask  of  Jehovah.  This  summons  to 
prayer  is  not  a  mere  expression  of  God's  readiness 
to  give  (Hengstenberg),  but,  both  from  the  force 
of  the  words  and  the  connection,  is  to  be  literally 
understood.  Rain  stands  as  a  representative  for 
all  blessings,  temporal  and  spiritual.  In  the  time 
of  the  latter  rain,  is  merely  a  rhetorical  amplifica- 
tion, for  it  cannot  be  shown  that  the  latter  rain 
was  more  necessary  than  the  early  rain  for  matur- 
ing the  harvest.  Cf.  Deut.  xi.  13-15,  from  which 
the  expressions  here  are  taken.  Lightnings  are 
mentioned  as  precursors  of  rain.  Cf.  Jer.  x.  13  ; 
Ps.  cxxxv.   7,  where,  however,  a  diiferent  word 

(C)7~1I?)  is  used.  Give  them,  i.  e.,  every  one  who 
asks. 

Ver.  2.  The  call  to  prayer  is  sustained  by  a  ref- 
erence to  the  misery  caused  by  their  former  depend- 
ence upon  idols  and  soothsayers.  Teraphim,  a 
kind  of  household  gods  =  Penates,  who  appear 
also  to  have  been  looked  upon  as  oracles  (Hos.  iii. 
4),  in  which  latter  light  they  are  regarded  here. 
The  etymology  of  the  word  is  still  unsettled.  The 
prevalence  of  impostors,  of  the  kinds  here  men- 
tioned, just  before  the  overthrow  of  Judah,  is.abun- 
dantly  established.  Jer.  xxvii.  9  ;  xxix.  8  ;  xxiii. 
9,  14,"  32  ;  Ezek.  xxi.34,  xxii.  28.  Therefore,  the 
consequence  was  that  they  were  compelled  to  wan- 
der away,  and  were  without  a  ruler,  i.  e.,  one  of 
their  own  Davidic  line, —  a  state  of  things  still  in 
existence  when  Zechariah  wrote. 

Ver.  3.  Against  the  shepherds.  Israel  having 
lost  its  native  rulers,  fell  under  the  power  of  heathen 
governors,  here  styled  shepherds  and  he-goats, 
(Is.  xiv.  9,  Ueb.).  These  are  to  be  punished,  be- 
cause Jehovah  regards  those  whom  they  oppress  as 
his  flock,  whom  He  visits  and  protects.  House  of 
Judah  is  mentioned  not  in  distinction  from  Kph- 
raim  (see  vers.  6,  7),  but  as  the  central  point  and 
representative  c'  the  covenant  people.    A  striking 


comparison  indicates  that  the  deliverance  is  effected 
by  an  actual  military  struggle.  Just  as  in  ch-  ix. 
13,  Jehovah  called  .Judah  and  Ephraim  his  bow 
and  arrow,  so  here  He  calls  the  former  his  goodly 
horse,  such  a  horse  as  for  his  extraordinary  qual- 
ities is  chosen,  and  splendidly  equipped  as  the  war- 
horse  of  the  general.  The  House  of  Judah,  there- 
fore will  be  well  prepared  to  meet  its  enemies. 

Ver.  4.  From  him  the  corner-stone.  ^3^3 
refers  not  to  Jehovah  (Hitzig,  Kohler,  Pressel),  but 
to  Judah,  as  appears  from  the  connection  and  from 
the  passage  in  Jer.  (xxx.  21)  on  which  this  one 
leans.  From  themselves  was  to  come  forth  every 
one  of  their  rulers,  which  is  expressed  in  the  for- 
mer part  of  the  verse  by  figures,  namely,  the  cor- 
ner-stone, cf.  Ps.  cxviii.  22  ;  the  nail,  the  largo 
ornamental  pin,  built  into  the  wall  of  oriental 
houses  for  the  purpose  of  suspending  houseliold 
utensils  (Is.  xxii.  23)  ;  the  war-bow,  which  de- 
notes military  forces  and  weapons  in  general  (ix. 
10). 

Ver.  5.  The  consequence  will  be  the  annihila- 
tion of  foes.  And  ....  like  heroes.  Some 
explain  the  allusion  as  =  they  trample  the  mire  of 
the  streets,  i.  e.,  their  foes  considered  as  such  (like 
the  sling-stones  in  ix.  15) ;  so  Hengstenberg,  Keil, 
etc.  But  the  verb  in  Kal  is  always  elsewhere  tran- 
sitive, and  the  2  ought  not  to  be  overlooked.  We 
should  render,  therefore,  treading  down  (foes)  in 
or  into  the  mire  (Fiirst,  Kohler).  Kiders  on 
horses.  Cavalry,  the  arm  in  which  Israel  was  al- 
ways weak,  is  mentioned  in  Dan.  xi.  40  as  the 
principal  strength  of  the  Asiatic  rulers  (comp.  also 
1  Mace.  iii.  39,  iv.  1 ).  Hence  the  force  of  the  prom- 
ise here. 

Ver.  6.  And  I  will  strengthen,  etc.  Judah 
and  Joseph  comprehend  the  entire  people  as  a 
whole.  Make  them  dwell,  i.  e.,  securely  and 
happily  as  in  the  olden  time,  which  is  suggested 
also  in  the  next  clause  but  one  (cf.  Ezek.  xxxvi. 
U ) .  Ajid  I  will  hear  them,  is  a  very  comprehen- 
sive promise. 

Ver.  7.  And  Ephraim  ....  wine.  In  this 
verse  and  the  following,  the  projjhet  refers  partic- 
ularly to  Ephraim  (but  not  to  the  exclusion  of 
Judah),  for  the  reason  that  heretofore  the  ten 
tribes  had  not  participated  as  largely  as  it  was  in 
tended  they  should,  in  the  return  from  exile.  They 
and  their  sons  shall  share  in  the  coming  conflict, 
and  equally  with  Judah  prove  tiiemselves  to  be  like 
a  hero.  Their  exultation  in  Jehovah  is  expressed 
by  a  comparison  which  is  applied  by  the  Psalmist 
to  the  Lord  Himself.    Ps.  Ixxviii.  65. 

Ver.  8.  1  will  hiss  ....  increase.  The  hiss- 
ing or  whistling  is  mentioned  as  a  signal  (cf.  Is. 
v.  26,  vii.  18).  It  alludes  to  the  ancient  method  of 
swarming  bees.  This  verse  explains  how  Israel, 
so  large  a  part  of  whom  were  still  in  exile,  fhonld 
take  part  in  the  victorious   stnij-L;lc.     Th'    Loni 


CHAPTER  X.   1-12. 


79 


would  brin<j  them  back.  The  utter  downfall  of  the 
northern  kingdom,  so  long  before  that  of  Jiidah, 
had  removed  nearly  every  political  reason  for  main- 
taining the  old  disruption,  and  all  the  circum- 
stances of  the  time  inclined  the  various  tril>es  to 
coalesce  again  into  one  jieople.  I  have  redeemed, 
prei.  proph.  to  express  Jeho^'ah's  unalteralile  pur- 
pose. The  last  clause,  like  ver.  6  b,  refers  to  Kzek. 
xxxvi.  1 1.  The  extraordinary  innltiplication  of  the 
Jews  at  and  after  this  period  is  one  of  the  most 
familiar  facts  of  history.  See  Merivale,  History  of 
the  Romans,  ch.  xxix.  "  Josephus  informs  us  that 
two  liundred  years  after  the  time  here  referred  to, 
Galilee  was  peopled  to  an  amazing  extent,  studded 
with  cities,  towns,  and  villages  ;  and  adds  that  the 
villages  were  not  what  are  usually  called  by  that 
name,  but  contained,  some  of  them,  fifteen  thou- 
sand inhabitants."    Henderson,  in  loc. 

Ver.  9.    And  I  will  sow return.     The 

word  3771^  never  means  scatter  in  the  sense  of  ban- 
ishing or  destroying  (Fiirst,  Henderson,  llitziy;), 
but  always  has  the  sense  of  sow im;  {aT^pa),  LXX. ; 
seminabo,  Vulg. ),  and  when  applied  to  men,  denotes 
increase  (Hos.  ii.  24  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  27).  Tlie  passage 
means,  then,  that  Israel  while  among  the  nations 
will  repeat  the  experience  of  their  ancestors  in 
Egypt,  "  the  more  they  afflicted  them,  th^'  more 
they  multiplied  and  grew"  (Ex.  i.  12).  They 
-shall  live,  is  explained  in  Ezek.  xxxvii.  14.  The 
mention  of  the  children  with  them  implies  that 
the  blessing  would  not  be  transient,  but  abiding. 

Ver.  10.  And  I  will  bring  .  .  .  Egypt.  Some 
expositors  suppose  that  by  Egypt  and  Assyria  are 
tneant  the  lands  so  named,  and  vainly  attempt  to 
show  that  many  of  the  ten  tribes  were  carried  or 
escaped  to  Egypt.  It  is  far  better  to  adopt  the 
opinion  of  Gesenius,  that  "  Egypt  and  Assyria  are 
mentioned  here  in  place  of  the  different  countries 
into  which  the  Jews  were  scattered."  Such  a  typ- 
ical use  of  names  is  neither  unnatural  nor  unusual. 
Egypt  was  the  first  oppressor  of  the  covenant  peo- 
ple, and  Assyria  was  the  final  instrument  of  over- 
throwing the  ten  tribes,  and  the  two  terms  might 
well  be  combined  as  a  general  statement  of  the 
lands  of  the  dispersion.  See  this  combination  in 
a  similar  case  in  Is.  xxvii.  1.3,  and  cf.  Is.  x.  24, 
xi.  11,  16,  xix.  23,  Hi.  4;  Hos.  xi.  11.  Kohler's 
objection  that  in  this  case  Assyria  must  be  taken  in 
its  most  literal  sense,  is  surely  groundless,  for  the 
prophet  could  not  have  meant  that  the  Ephraim- 
ites  should  be  restored  from  certain  regions  and 
not  from  others.  The  general  terms  of  the  preced- 
ing verses  forbid  such  a  narrow  view.  Nor  can 
Pressel  claim  the  mention  of  Assyria  as  favoring  the 
theory  which  dates  the  pro]3hecy  before  the  Captiv- 
ity, because  the  subject  of  it  is  not  Judah  alone, 
but  the  whole  nation,  with  special  reference  to 
Ephraim,  and  therefore  Assyria  was  just  the  coun- 
try which  it  suited  the  prophet  to  mention.  The 
land  of  Gilead  and  Lebanon  :=  northern  Pales- 
tine on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan,  the  former  home 
of  the  ten  tribes.  Room  .  .  .  found,  because  of 
their  increase.  Merivale,  in  the  place  above  cited, 
accounts  for  the  manner  in  which  the  Jews 
m  the  centuries  just  before  Christ,  swarmed  over 
the  whole  Roman  world,  "  from  the  Tiber  to  the 
Euphrates,  from  the  pines  of  the  Caucasus  to  the 
^pice  groves  of  Arabia  Felix,"  by  the  insufficiency 
»f  their  native  land  to  support  the  immense  popu- 
fation. 

Ver.  11.  And  he  passes.  The  subject,  of 
eoorse,  is  Jehovah,  the  discourse  passing  from  di- 
rect to  indirect  address,  in  accordance  with  the  He- 


brew usage  allowing  such  rapid  transiti  )ns.  To 
make  n~l!i  the  subject  (Calvin,  Cocceius,  Syr.), 
is  unnatural  and  frigid,  besides  connecting  a  femi- 
nine noun  with  a  verb  having  a  masculine  suffix. 
This  verse  continues  the  figurative  allusions  of  the 
preceding.  Just  as  of  old  God  gloriously  vindi- 
cated his  people  in  the  passage  over  the  Red  Sea 
so  now  He  marches  through  the  deep  at  the  head 
of  his  chosen  and  smites  down  the  roaring  waves. 
The  article  in  the  sea  points  to  the  particular  body 
of  water   through  which  Israel  had  once  before 

been  led,  —  the  Arabian  Gulf  "liS^  almost  al- 
ways =  Nile.  Here  the  term  depths  or  floods  is 
properly  applied  to  its  vast  and  regular  inunda- 
tions. In  the  last  clause  the  characteristic  feature 
of  Assyria  is  well  expressed  by  pride  (Is.  x.  7), 
and  that  of  Egypt  by  the  sceptre  or  rod  of  the 
taskmasters. 

Ver.  12.  And  I  strengthen.  The  whole  sec- 
tion is  appropriately  wound  up  with  this  emphatic 
promise.  The  entire  strength,  conduct,  hope,  and 
destiny  of  Israel  lay  in  Jehovah.  "  The  name  of 
Jehovah  is  a  comprehensive  expression  denoting 
his  glory  as  manifested  in  history"  (Hengsten- 
berg).  Trusting  and  serving  the  God  thus  re- 
vealed, they  would  find  the  past  a  pledge  of  the 
future,  and  see  the  divine  perfections  as  gloriously 
illustrated  in  their  behalf  as  at  any  former  period. 

This  chapter,  as  has  been  said,  continues  and 
enlarges  the  promises  of  the  preceding.  After 
tracing  the  distresses  of  the  people  to  their  apos- 
tasy, it  sets  forth  their  deliverance  as  effected 
through  actual  conflicts,  in  which  the  might  of 
Jehovah  gives  to  the  native  leaders  a  force  and 
courage  which  suffice  to  subdue  foes  otherwise  far 
superior.  This  victory  is  followed  by  a  large  in- 
crease of  population,  not  confined  to  Judah  but 
also  including  Israel.  Nor  is  there  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  independence  achieved  by  the  Maccabees 
attracted  very  many  of  the  exiles  from  the  north, 
em  kingdom,  who  forgot  the  old  causes  of  dissen- 
sion, and  united  heartily  in  maintaining  the  rees- 
tablished national  centre  in  Jerusalem.  This  fu- 
sion at  home  led  to  a  similar  fusion  abroad  ;  and 
wherever  Jews  were  found  who  preserved  their 
hereditary  faith  at  all,  they  still  remembered  Jeho- 
vah as  the  one  who  had  chosen  Zion,  and  consid- 
ered themselves  as  constituent  parts  of  one  cove- 
nant people.  So  far  the  predictions  of  the  chap- 
ter were  fulfilled  historically  in  the  period  extend- 
ing from  the  establishment  of  Jewish  independ- 
ence to  the  time  of  the  advent.  In  the  last  three 
verses  the  Prophet  describes  a  far  greater  because 
spiritual  blessing  in  terms  borrowed  from  the  old 
experience  of  the  people.  The  drying  up  of  the 
sea,  the  humiliation  of  Assyria,  the  overthrow  of 
Egypt  simply  set  forth  the  removal  of  all  possible 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  spiritual  return  to  God. 
The  Lord  will  reclaim  and  bless  them  by  proced- 
ures as  marvelous  as  any  that  ever  occurred  in 
their  former  history. 

But  before  this  great  event  takes  place,  before 
the  Church  of  the  Old  Testament  passes  into  the 
form  and  character  of  the  Church  of  the  New 
Testament,  a  sad  and  peculiar  experience  is  to  be 
gone  through.  This  is  set  forth  in  t^  e  strikiiig 
imagery  of  the  next  chapter. 

THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  In  the  opening  verse  of  this  chapter  th« 
Prophet  comes  into  direct  opposition  to  many  of 
the  so-called   Scientists  of  our  day.     They  affirnc 


so 


ZECHAKIAH. 


that  "  withont  a  disturbance  of  natural  law  quite 
as  serious  as  the  stoppaiio  of  an  eeli[)se  or  the  roll- 
inir  the  St.  Lawrence  up  the  Falls  of  Niufi'ara,  no 
act  of  humiliation,  individual  or  national,  could 
3all  one  shower  from  heaven  "  (Tvndall).  It  fol- 
lows, of  course,  that  only  those  who  believe  that 
the  miraculous  is  still  active  in  nature  can  consist- 
ently join  in  prayers  for  fair  weather  and  for  rain. 
The  Prophet,  on  the  contrary,  directs  the  people 
whenever  the  heavens  withhold  their  moisture,  to 
ask  from  the  Lord  what  thoy  need,  and  assures 
them  that  askings  they  shall  obtain  ;  and  yet  neither 
he  nor  his  hearers  supposed  that  this  process  in- 
volved a  miracle  in  any  proper  sense  of  that  term. 
It  certainly  implies  the  attainment  of  an  end  which 
without  this  means  would  not  be  accomplished.  It 
is  tlie  com-jining  and  directing  of  natural  forces 
BO  as  to  secure  a  certain  result.  This  is  what  men 
are  doing  all  the  time,  without  dreaming  that  they 
are  miracle-workers.  Much  more  may  God  do  ii;, 
who  is  not,  like  us,  limited  by  second  causes.  In 
this  very  matter  of  rain,  a  scientific  man  announced 
some  years  ago  a  certain  process  by  which  an 
adequate  rain-fall  could  at  any  time  be  secured. 
Whether  his  theory  was  valid  or  not,  no  one 
scouted  it  as  impossible,  or  preposterous.  Yet 
learned  men  deny  to  God  what  they  allow  to  them- 
selves. Creatures  may  compel  the  clouds,  but  the 
Creator  may  not.  They  may  employ  one  and  an- 
other natural  law  so  as  to  achieve  novel  effects, 
but  the  Maker  of  the  whole, 

"  Who  sets  the  bright  procession  oa  its  way, 
And  marshals  all  the  order  of  the  year," 

18  shut  up  in  the  workmanship  of  his  hands,  and 
cannot  possibly  escape  from  the  regular  sequence 
of  cause  and  effect.  But  this  is  simply  the  re- 
jection, not  merely  of  Christianity  or  ol'  the  Old 
Testament,  but  of  all  religion  whatever.  A  God 
who  has  no  control  over  nature  is  to  all  in- 
tents and  purposes  no  God.  Sentiments  of  rever- 
ence, gratitude,  obligation,  love,  and  dependence 
toward  such  a  Being,  are  impossible.  The  doc- 
trine of  prayer,  therefore,  is  a  vital  one.  There 
never  has  been,  there  never  can  be  a  religion  with- 
out communion  with  the  object  of  worship.  To 
deny  the  eflicacy  of  prayer,  even  in  such  matters 
as  the  giving  or  withholding  of  rain,  is  to  remand 
the  human  race  into  a  state  of  practical  atheism. 

2.  The  question  with  man  never  is  whether  he 
will  have  a  religion  or  not,  but  always  whether  he 
will  have  that  which  is  true,  or  one  that  is  false. 
Not  only  his  intuitions,  his  moral  convictions,  but 
his  dependent  condition,  his  exposure  to  chan^'C, 
want,  sorrow,  and  death,  all  compel  him  to  look 
up  to  some  superior  invisible  power,  something 
nobler  and  better  than  himself.  If  this  craving  be 
not  met  by  the  truth,  it  surely  will  be  by  false- 
hood. A  permanent  state  of  atheistic  unbelief  is 
impossible.  Such  a  state  has  never  been  seen  in 
all  the  world's  history.  In  ancient  Israel  there  was 
a  constant  oscillation  between  the  worship  of  Jeho- 
vah and  the  service  of  idols,  but  never  the  abnega- 
tion of  all  worship.  And  this  is  the  alternative 
which  confronts  every  man  and  every  age.  They 
i.iay  reject  the  true  God  and  the  revealed  religion  ; 
but  the  inevitable  result  is  superstition  in  some 
form,  more  or  less  refined.  Just  as  among  the 
lews  whenever  they  apostatized,  "diviners  "  came 
to  the  front.  When  Saul  could  get  no  answer  from 
'he  Ijord,  either  by  dreams,  or  by  Urim,  or  by 
Prophets,  he  -vent  to  the  Witch  of  Endor. 

Intelligence  and  culture  arc  no  guard  against 
inch  a  result.     If  men  will  not  believe  the  rational 


and  true,  they  will  believe  the  absurd  and  the  false 
Our  own  land  at  this  day  furnishes  conspicuous 
examples.  Table-turnings  and  spirit-rappings 
h,  ve  led  captive  many  who  turned  awaj'  in  scorn 
from  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles 
The  voice  of  God,  uttered  with  every  kind  and  de* 
gree  of  evidence  in  his  Word,  has  been  given  up 
tor  the  sake  of  the  pretended  disclosure?  cf  the 
s])irits  of  the  dead  ;  and  the  necromancy  of  the 
nineteenth  century  before  Christ  has  been  revived 
in  the  nineteenth  century  after  Christ,  And  the 
results  have  been  what  was  to  be  exitected.  On 
one  hand  a  degree  of  unnatural  excitement  of  the 
feelings  and  the  imagination  which  terminated  in 
an  eclipse  of  reason,  and  on  the  other,  a  lowering 
of  the  tone  of  morals  which  undermined  the  fam- 
ily constitution,  and  swept  away  the  surest  safe- 
guards of  human  society.  It  is  as  criminal  and 
as  dangerous  to  consult  diviners  now  as  it  ever  was 
in  the  days  of  ancient  Israel.  "  Should  not  a  peo- 
ple seek  unto  their  God  ?  [Should  they  seek]  for 
the  living  to  the  dead  ?  To  the  law  and  to  the 
testimony  ;  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them  "  (Is. 
viii.  19,  20). 

3.  The  prediction  of  the  return  of  Ephraim  in 
this  chapter  (ver.  6)  has  been  sometimes  cited  as 
evidence  that  the  ten  tribes  are  still  somewhere  ex- 
isting as  a  separate  community,  and  as  such  are 
yet  to  be  restored  to  their  own  land.  But  this  is 
an  error.  The  words  of  the  Prophet  were  fulfilled 
in  the  period  to  which  he  refers.  Many  of  the 
transplanted  Ephraimites  fell  away  from  the  faith 
and  became  absorbed  in  the  heathen  by  whom  they 
were  surrounded,  but  many  who  remained  true  to 
Jehovah,  joined  their  fortunes  with  those  of  their 
brethren  of  Judah.  Their  common  calamities  soft- 
ened and  at  last  obliterated  the  old  feelings  of  en- 
mity toward  each  other.  Jerusalem  became  again 
the  central  point  of  the  whole  nation,  and  while 
not  a  few  actually  shared  in  the  restoration,  others 
who  remained  in  exile,  yet  adhered  to  the  second 
temple,  aided  it  by  their  gifts,  and  often  attended 
the  yearly  festivals.  Hence  all  the  latter  were 
comprehended  under  the  term,  the  Diaspora  (Jas 
i.  i).  In  the  New  Testament  there  are  repeated 
allusions  to  the  twelve  tribes,  conveying  the  dis- 
tinct impression  that  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine 
in  our  Lord's  day  represented  both  parts  of  the 
nation.  There  is  no  reason,  therefore,  for  the 
pains  which  have  been  taken  to  discover  them  in 
some  remote  or  obscure  part  of  the  globe.  And 
indeed  the  hopeless  disagreement  of  those  who 
seek  a  historical  identification  of  these  exiles  shows 
the  vanity  of  the  attempt.  The  foot  of  the  Him- 
alayas, the  coast  of  Malabar,  the  interior  of  China, 
the  Nestorians  of  Persia,  and  the  Indians  of  North 
America,  have  all  been  claimed  as  containing  the 
veritable  descendants  of  the  Hebrews  whom  Sar- 
gon  carried  away.  This  whole  subject  is  treated 
with  ability  and  learning  in  an  article  in  the 
Princeton  Review  for  April,  1873,  by  the  Rev.  John 
H.  Shedd.  The  conclusions  to  which  Mr.  Shedd 
comes  are  thus  stated  :  — 

1.  That  the  apostate  Israelites  were  lost  among 
the  idolaters  of  the  Assyrian  Empire  at  the  time 
of  their  apostasy. 

2.  That  the  true  Israelites  under  Persian  rule 
became  identified  with  the  capti\-ity  of  Judah,  and 
the  nationality  of  the  Ten  Tribes  was  extinct. 

3.  That  these  Jews,  embracing,  since  the  tim« 
of  Cyrus,  the  faithful  of  both  Judah  and  Israel 
greatly  increased  in  numbers,  were  reinforced  by 
emigrants  from  Palestine,  an  J  have  sent  off  col 


CHAPTER  XI.  1-17. 


8j 


onies  to  all  the  East,  throufjhout  Persia,  Tnrtary, 
and  Thiliet  ;  but  there  is  no  Scriptural  or  histor- 
ical basis  for  the  idea  that  the  ''  Ten  Tribes  "  are 
living-  as  a  body  in  some  obscure  legioii  or  are 
found  in  any  one  nation. 

4.  That  some  at  least  of  the  conjinunities  of 
Jews  still  living  in  the  land  of  their  ori;:inal  exile, 
are  lineal-  descendants  of  the  Ten  Tribes  ;  and 
considering  the  history  of  those  Jews,  their  pres- 
ent numbers  of  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  souls  in 
Persia  and  Assyria,  and  several  thousand  more  in 
Babylonia,  they  sufficiently  solve  the  problem. 

HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Melvill  :  Ask  ye  rain.  Men  seem  practically 
to  have  but  little  remembrance  that  the  main- 
spring of  all  the  mechanism  of  second  causes  is  in 
the  hands  of  an  invisible  Creator ;  tiiat  it  is  not 
from  what  goes  on  in  the  hidden  laboratories  of 
what  they  call  nature  that  season  succeeds  season, 
and  shower  and  sunshine  alternate  with  so  much 
of  beautiful  and  beneficent  order,  but  that  the 
whole  arrangement  is  momentarily  dependent 
upon  the  will  and  energy  of  that  sui)reme  Being 
who  "  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the  earth,  and  the 
inhabitants  thereof  are  as  grasshoppers." 

Calvin  :  Grass  in  the  field.  The  Prophet  no 
doubt  includes  here  under  one  kind  all  things  ne- 
cessary for  a  happy  life ;  for  it  is  not  the  will  of 
God  to  fill  his  faithful  people  in  this  world  as 
though  they  were  swine,  but  his  design  is  to  give 
them  by  means  of  earthly  things,  a  taste  of  the 
spirituaJ  life.  1  am  Jehovah  their  God.  He  means 
bj  this  that  although  he  had  for  a  time  rejected 


the  Jews,  their  adojjtion  would  not  be  void  ;  for  by 
calling  Himself  their  God  He  reminds  them  of  his 
covenant,  as  if  He  said  that  He  had  not  in  vain 
made  a  covenant  with  Abraham,  and  promised 
that  his  seed  should  be  blessed.  And  1  will  sow 
thein.  This  was  an  instance  of  the  wonderful  grace 
of  God  ;  for  hence  it  happened  that  the  knowledge 
of  celestial  truth  shone  everywhere  ;  and  at  length 
when  the  Gospel  was  proclaimed,  a  freer  access 
was  had  to  the  Gentiles,  because  Jews  were  dis- 
persed through  all  lands.  The  first  receptacles 
[hospitia]  of  the  Gospel  were  the  Synagogues. 
God  thus  scattered  his  seed  here  and  there  that  it 
might  in  due  time  produce  fruit  beyond  the  ex- 
pectation of  all. 

Pressel:  Diviners  have  seen  a  lie.  Unbelief 
has  recourse  to  a  crowd  of  superstitious  devices, 
and  by  their  folly  and  impotence  is  put  to  shame  : 
Faith  on  the  contrary  turns  to  prayer  and  through 
it  works  wonders.  Passes  through  the  sea.  For 
how  many  has  Israel's  wonderful  passage  through 
the  Red  Sea  been  a  pattern  of  a  wonderful  escape 
through  straits  and  sorrows  of  every  kind !  The 
text  is  one  of  the  oldest  examples  of  this  use  of 
the  deliverance,  but  new  ones  are  constantly  oc- 
curring. 

Jay  :  /  will  strengthen  them  in  the  Lord.  The 
very  assurance  our  hearts  want.  Its  fulfillment 
will  keep  us  in  our  work,  not  cause  us  to  cease. 
It  will  be  seasonable  and  proportioned  to  our  needs. 
"  As  thy  days,"  etc.  It  will  come  in  God's  own 
way,  that  is,  in  the  use  of  the  means  He  has  ap- 
pointed. These  we  are  to  employ,  especially  when 
we  are  not  in  a  proper  or  lively  frame;  as  fire  u 
most  needful  when  we  are  cold. 


6.  ISRAEL'S  REJECTION  OF  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD 

OHAPTEK  XI. 


A.  Poetical  Introduction  (vers.  1-3).  B.  The  Flock  of  Slaughter  {yera.  4-6).  C.  The  Prophet  tries  t» 
be  their  Shepherd  (vers.  7,  8).  D.  He  Fails  (vers.  9-11 ).  E.  He  is  contemptuously  Rejected  (yem 
12,  13).  F.  The  Result  (ver.  14).  G.  A  worthless  Shepherd  takes  Charge  (vers.  15,  16).  H.  ITuM 
Shepherd  Punished  (ver.  17). 

1  Open,  0  Lebanon,  thy  doors, 
And  let  fire  devour  thy  cedars.^ 

2  Howl,  cypress,  for  the  cedar  has  fallen, 
For  the  lofty  are  laid  vraste  ; 

Howl,  ye  oaks  of  Bashan, 

For  the  high^  forest  has  gone  dovra. 

3  A  sound  of  the  howling  of  the  shepherds  I 
For  their  glory  is  laid  waste  ; 

A  sound  of  the  roaring  of  young  lions  I 
For  the  pride  of  Jordan  is  laid  waste. 

4  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  my  God, 
Feed  ^  the  flock  of  slaughter  ;  * 

5  Whose  buyers  slaughter  them  and  are  not  guilty, 

And  their  sellers  say.  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  for  I  am  getting  rich," 
And  their  own  shepherds  spare  them  not. 

6  For  I  will  no  more  spare  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  saith  Jehovah* 
And  behold  I  give  up  the  men, 

£ach  into  the  hand  of  his  neighbor  and  into  the  hand  of  his  king, 


82  ZECHARIAH. 


And  they  lay  waste  ®  the  land, 

And  I  will  not  deliver  out  of  their  hand. 

7  And   I  fed  ''   the  flock  of  slaughter,  therefore  ^  the  most  miserable  sheep,*  and  1 
took  to  myself  two  staves  ;  the  one  ^°  I  called   Beauty,  the  other  I  called  Bands, 

8  and   I  fed  the  flock.     And  I  cut  off  the  three  "  shepherds  in  one  month,  and  my 

9  soul  became  impatient  with  them,  and  their  soul  also  abhorred  me.     And  I  said, 

I  will  not  feed  you, 

The  dying,  let  it  die, 

And  the  cut  off,  let  it  be  cut  off, 

And  the  remaining,  let  them  devour  each  the  flesh  of  the  other. 

10  And  I  took  my  staff  Beauty  and  broke  it  asunder  in  order  to  destroy  my  cove- 

11  nant  with  all  peoples.^-     And  it  was  destroyed  in  that  day,  and  thus^'^  the  wretched 

12  of  the  flock,  who  gave  heed  to  me,  knew  that  this  was  the  word  of  Jehovah.  And 
I  said  to  them,  If  it  seem  good  to  you,  give  me  my  wages  ;  ^*  and  if  not,  forbear. 

13  And  they  weighed  as  my  wages  thirty  ^^  pieces  of  silver.  And  Jehovah  said  to  me, 
Throw  it  to  the  potter,  the  noble  price  at  which  I  am  valued  by  them ;  and  I  took 
the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and   threw  it  into  the  house  of  Jehovah,  to  the  potter. 

14  And  I  broke  my  second  staff.  Bands,  to  destroy  the  brotherhood^®  between  Judah 
and  Israel. 

15  And  Jehovah  said  to  me.  Take  again  the  implements  ^^  of  a  foolish  shepherd, 

16  For,  behold,  I  raise  up  a  shepherd  in  the  land, 
The  perishing  ^^  he  will  not  visit. 

The  straying  ^^  will  he  not  seek  for, 

And  the  wounded  he  will  not  heal, 

The  strong  ^^  will  he  not  feed ; 

But  the  fl^esh  of  the  fat  one  he  will  eat, 

And  their  hoofs  he  will  break  off. 

Wo  to  the  worthless  ^^  shepherd  who  forsakes  **  the  flock  I 

A  sword  upon  his  arm  ! 

And  upon  his  right  eye ! 

His  arm  shall  be  utterly  withered, 

And  his  right  eye  utterly  blinded. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 
I  Ver.  1.  —  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  exact  to  render,  "  devour  among  thy  cedars."     Of.  2  Sam.  zriil.  8  tot  tba  OM  Of 

vDS  with  the  preposition  3. 
- 1  : 

3  Ver  2.  —  For  ~Ti!J2  many  MSS.  and  two  early  editions  read  T'S^,  which  is  also  found  in  the  Keri ;  but  it  ii 

generally  considered  to  be  a  needless  attempt  at  correction.     The  Kethib  is  lit.,  cut  off,  h.  inaccessible,  which  Dr.  Eiggf 

gives  in  his  emendations. 

3  Ver.  4.  —  n>~l.  Feed  is  a  miserably  inadequate  version  of  this  word.  It  mean^i  to  perform  the  whole  work  of  a 
■hepherd,  of  which  feeding  is  but  one  part.  Guiding,  defending,  and  ruling  are  also  included.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
Greek  equivalent  Trotjiatvo),  but  not  of  the  Latin  pasco. 

4  Ver.  4.  —  "  Flock  of  Slaughter  "  Keil  renders  of  strangling,  and  says  tbat  the  cognate  verb  "  does  not  mean  to  slay 
but  to  strangle  "     If  it  has  this  meaning  in  the  cognate  Arabic  form,  which  I  doubt,  it  is  certainly  lost  in  tUe  Hebrew. 

See  any  of  the  Lexicons  or  Concordances.      n2"^nn    'JS2  =  nn^lp    ^S!^    (Ps.  xliv.  23).     The  flock  destined  or 
«ccu8tomed  to  be  slaughtered. 

5  Ver.  5.  —  "ICPST  is  merely  a  syncopated  form  of  "H^il'PSX  The  vav  expresses  consequence,  and  is  translated 
accordingly.  The  tenses  are  futures  expressing  continued  action.  The  plural  verbs  are  employed  in  a  distributive 
■ense  ;  tkey,  i.  e.,  each  of  them,  will  say,  etc. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  ^nr^D,  lit.,  smite  in  pieces  =  lay  waste. 

7  ^er.  7.  —  The  E.  V  "  and  I  will  feed,"  although  it  follows  the  LXX.  and  Vulgate,  is  opposed  alike  to  grammar  and 
to  sense.  The  full  force  of  the  vav  com:  is,  "  And  so  I  fed."  Exactly  the  same  form  is  found  in  the  last  clause  of  the 
ferse. 

8  Ver.  7.  —  "J^b  has  been  very  variously  rendered.  The  LXX.  read  it  and  the  following  word,  as  one,  and  so  mad« 
Canaanile  of  it,  which  Blayney  adopts.  The  Vulgate,  propter  hoc  =  therefore,  is  the  usual  sense  of  tl  e  word  but  eonfess- 
«dly  hard  here.  Some  (Kimchi,  Ewald,  Henderson)  make  it  a  noun  with  a  preposition  =  in  respect  c  truth,  t.  «.,  truly, 
5ut  there  is  no  other  instance  of  the  kind.  Others  (Uitzig)  render  on  account  of  you,  which  also  lacks  authority.  lo 
aUs  conflict  of  opinion,  it  is  better  to  adhere  to  usage  and  render  therefore;  but  then  this  caanot  give  the  reason  for  th« 
Shepherd'!  assumption  of  his  office  as  Hengstenberg  claims,  for  it  is  too  far  from  the  verb  ;  but  must  assign  the  conse 
^uence  of  the  flock's  description,  thus,  And  so  I  fed  the  flock  of  slaughter,  therefore  (i.  e.,  because  so  named),  a  ucei 
aiiserable  flock. 


CHAPTEK  XI.  1-17. 


88 


8  fer.  I--  ^StJn   "''^3j?   is  an  emphatic  positive  =  8uperlat:f»    Me  most  miserahle  ihtep. 

10  Ver.  7.  —  ^^M.  Kcihler  insists  tliat  tiiis  must  be  regarded  as  a  true  construct,  depending  upon  Cni2  lUldn- 
Kood,  but  it  is  better  to  take  it  as  construct  used  for  the  absolute,  as  elsewtiere  (Green,  H.  G.,  §  223  a-). 

U  Ver.  8.  —  ''  The  three  shepherds."  Pressel  shows  that  Kohlur  has  quite  failed  to  overthrow  Hitzig's  tussertion,  that 
C^l^'in  nU?btt7"nS  tnuH  be  thus  translated  (of.  vers.  12,  13  ;  Gen.  xl.  10,  12,  18). 

13  Ver.  10.  —  D^^17.      Peoples.     Cf.  Text,  and  Gram,  on  viii.  20. 
18  Ver.  11.  —  "jD.      Not  truly,  nor  there/ore,  but  thus. 

14  Ver.  12.  —  ^"^32?.  Not  price  (E.  V.),  but  reward  or  wages.  The  word  in  the  next  verse,  similarly  but  toneotly 
rendered  price  in  the  E.  V.,  is  a  totally  different  one,  "Ip^n. 

15  Ver.  12. —  ^p.^  ^s  usual  is  omitted  before  J^D"!;. 

16  Ver.  14.  —  mnS  —  air.  Key.     Found  in  cognate  languages  and  the  Mishna.     A  token  of  post-exile  composition. 

17  Ver.  15.  —  "^73   is  a  collective  singular. 

18  Ver.  16.  —  D3n.  The  connection  requires  us  to  render  the  participle  in  the  present,  instead  of  the  past,  as  E.  V 
"cut  off." 

19  Ver.  16.  —  nPD   is  with  LXX.,  Vulg.,  and  Syr.  to  be  taken  as  formed  from  "1273,   to  shake,  Piel,  to  disperse 

Arab,    \\jtj  =  '«  fugam  vertere  (Gesenius,  FUrst,  el  al.).     Hengstenberg  makes  it  the  ordinary  Hebrew  word  of  the 

same  radicals,  but  this  is  never  applied  to  animals,  and  if  it  were,  could  not  have  the  meaning  which  he  claims,  namely 
tender. 

20  Ver.  16.  —  n3vi3,  what  stands  upon  its  feet,  i.  e.,  is  strong  and  healthy.  Henderson  derives  it  from  an  Arabic 
root  .  .  tj^.^  =  to  be  wearied,  feeble,  wliich  he  ttiinks  required  by  the  connection.  But  the  picture  is  the  more  vivid 
when  it  shows  all  classes  and  conditions  of  the  flock  to  be  equally  neglected.     Dr.  Riggs  renders  "  the  well  (or  sound)." 

21  Ver.  17.  —  V^ 7S,  not  idol,  but  worthless,  or,  as  Kohler  says,  mock-shepherd.  Dr.  Riggs  ^ves  "Shepherd  Ol 
TMiity,"  wliich  itself  needs  interpretation. 

22  Ver.  17.  —  ''S'T^)   ^^^"^   paragogic  vowel  (Green,  H.  G.,  §  61,  6  a.),  found  chiefly  in  poetical  passages. 


BXEGETIOAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

This  chapter,  on  any  view  of  its  meaning,  pre- 
sents a  marked  contrast  to  the  tenor  of  chaps,  ix. 
and  X.  The  latter  arc  full  of  encouragement. 
They  speak  much  of  conflict,  but  uniformly  repre- 
sent the  covenant  people  as  victorious,  and  paint  a 
bright  picture  of  increase,  prosperity,  and  happi- 
ness. Here,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  sad  scene  of  gen- 
eral overthrow  caused  by  deliberate  and  persistent 
wickedness.  The  explanation  is  well  given  by 
Calvin  :  "  These  predictions  appear  to  contradict 
one  another.  But  it  was  necessary  that  the  bless- 
ings of  God  should  first  of  all  be  announced  to 
the  Jews  in  order  that  they  might  engage  with 
greater  alacrity  in  the  work  of  building  the  tem- 
ple, and  feel  assured  that  they  were  not  wasting 
their  time.  It  was  now  desirable  to  address  them 
in  a  different  style,  lest,  as  was  too  generally  the 
case,  hypocrites  should  be  hardened  by  their  vain 
confidence  in  these  promises.  It  was  also  requis- 
ite, in  order  that  the  feithful  should  take  alarm  in 
time,  and  earnestly  draw  near  to  God ;  since  noth- 
ing is  more  destructive  than  false  security  ;  and 
whenever  sin  is  committed  without  restraint,  the 
iudgment  of  God  is  close  at  hand."  Just  then,  as 
in  the  former  part  of  the  book,  there  is  interjected, 
in  the  midst  of  a  scries  of  encouraging  symbolical 
risions,  a  pair  of  representations  (ch.  vi.)  setting 
forth  the  certainty  and  severity  of  the  punishment 
3f  wickedness,  so  here,  after  exhibiting  Judaea's 
protection  from  Alexander,  and  also  (with  a  pass- 
ng  glance  at  Zion's  future  king,  Messiah)  the  tri- 
umph of  the  Maccabees  and  the  recovery  of  former 
itrength  and  influence,  the  Prophet  passes  on  to 
lift  the  veil  from  the  final  outcome  of  Jewish  ob- 
'nracy,  and  its  terrible  results. 


The  first  three  verses  describe  the  ruin  of  the 
entire  land,  in  words  arranged  with  great  rhetor- 
ical power,  full  of  poetic  imagery  and  lively  dra- 
matic movement.  Then  the  cause  of  this'  wide- 
spread desolation  is  set  forth,  not  by  vision  as  in 
the  earlier  portion,  but  by  symbolical  action  or 
process  subjectively  wrought.  Israel  is  a  flock 
doomed  to  perish  by  the  divine  judgment.  The 
Prophet  personating  his  Lord  makes  an  eiFort  to 
avert  the  threatened  infliction.  He  therefore  as 
sumes  the  office  of  shepherd,  equipped  with  staves 
fitted  to  secure  success.  He  seeks  to  rid  them  of 
false  leaders,  and  win  them  to  ways  of  truth  and 
right.  But  the  attempt  is  vain,  because  of  their 
obdurate  wickedness,  and  the  issue  is  a  mutual  re- 
coil. He  loathes  them  ;  they  abhor  him.  Accord- 
ingly he  significantly  breaks  his  staves  in  token 
that  all  is  over.  But  after  breaking  one,  and  be- 
fore doing  the  same  to  the  other,  the  shepherd  asks 
a  reward  for  his  unavailing  effort.  He  receives 
one,  but  it  is  so  trifling  that  he  had  better  have  re- 
ceived none.  They  insult  him  with  the  offer  of 
the  price  of  a  slave  (vers.  4-14).  Then  the  scene 
changes.  Instead  of  a  wise,  kind  shepherd,  the 
Prophet  personates  one  of  an  opposite  character. 
The  gentle  crooks,  Beauty  and  Bands,  are  replaced 
by  knives  and  battle-axes.  The  flock,  so  far  from 
being  fed  and  guided  and  guarded,  is  torn  and  de- 
voured, and  then  at  last  its  misguided  rulers  are 
smitten  and  palsied,  and  so  the  curtain  falls  (vers. 
15-17). 

Vers.  1-3  are  a  vivid  poetical  apostrophe,  intro- 
ductory to  what  follows  in  the  rest  of  the  chapter. 
A  fierce  conflagration  sweeps  over  the  land,  devour 
ing  alike  mountain  forests,  and  lowland  pastures, 
and  a  cry  of  despair  is  heard  from  man  and  beasi. 
.  Ver.  1.  Open,  O  Lebanon,  etc.  Instead  of 
simply  declaring  that  Lebanon  shall  be  devastated, 


34 


ZECHARIAH. 


the  Prophet  summons  the  lofty  mountain  to  open 
its  doors  for  the  consuming  fire. 

Vcr.  2.  Howl,  cypress,  for  the  cedar,  e'x;. 
Continuing  liis  apostrophe,  he  calls  on  the  less  im- 
portant trees  to  bewail  the  fall  of  the  stately  cedars 
as  foreshadowing  their  own  impending  doom,  for 
if  the  steep  inaccessible  forest  on  the  mountain 
side  is  prostrated,  much  more  must  the  cypresses 
and  oaks  be  consumed.  But  the  crashing  ruin 
extends  yet  further. 

Ver.  3.  A  sound  of  the  howhng  of  the  shep- 
herds !  The  flames  spread  over  the  low  grounds 
and  pastures  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  Prophet 
hears  the  outcry  of  the  shepherds  over  the  destruc- 
tion of  what  is  their  hope  and  dependence.  With 
this  is  mingled  the  roaring  of  young  hons,  driven 
by  the  fiery  blast  from  their  favorite  lair,  the  thick- 
ets on  the  river  banks,  known  as  the  pride  of  the 
Jordan  (Jer.  xii.  5 ;  xlix.  19 ;  1.  44),  so  called  be- 
cause the  luxuriant  bushes  and  reeds  inclose  the 
stream  with  a  garland  of  fresh  and  beautiful  ver- 
dure. 

To  what  does  this  vivid  and  startling  represen- 
tation refer"?  (1.)  Avery  old  Jewish  interpreta- 
tion makes  it  descriptive  of  the  overthrow  of  the 
temple,  which  is  here  called  Lebanon,  because  so 
much  of  the  wood  of  that  goodly  mountain  was 
used  in  its  construction.  So  Eusebius,  Jerome, 
Grotius,  and  Henderson.  But  this,  as  Calvin  says, 
is  frigid.  Indeed,  it  gives  no  explanation  of  Ba- 
shan,  or  of  ver.  3.  (2.)  Others  applied  it  to  Jeru- 
salem, which  is  liable  to  the  same  objection.  (3.) 
Most  of  the  moderns  refer  it  to  the  holy  land,  some 
supposing  that  the  cedars,  cypresses,  etc.,  denote 
heathen  rulers  who  are  swept  away  by  a  general 

i'udgment  (Hoffman,  Umbreit,  Kliefoth)  ;  others 
olding  that  these  terms  denote  the  chief  men  of 
Israel  (Hitzig,  Maurer,  Hengstenberg,  Ewald). 
But  any  such  close  pressing  of  a  passage  like  this, 
the  most  vigorous  and  poetical  in  all  the  book,  is 
both  needless  and  unwise.  Standing  as  a  prelude 
to  the  fearful  doom  of  the  flock  of  slaughter,  it  is 
simply  a  highly  figurative  representation  of  the 
overthrow  of  all  that  is  lofty  and  glorious  and 
powerful  in  the  nation  and  kingdom  of  the  Jews. 
The  choice  of  the  local  terms  used  (Lebanon,  Ba- 
shan,  etc.)  may  have  been  suggested  by  ch.  x.  10  ; 
but  even  if  not  so,  they  may  very  well  stand  for 
the  whole  kingdom.  A  poet  is  not  to  be  bound 
by  the  rules  of  a  historiographer.  Pressel,  quite 
consistently  with  his  general  view  of  the  second 
part  of  Zechariah,  sees  in  this  prelude  only  a  lit- 
eral description  of  the  march  of  Tiglath  Pileser, 
when  he  invaded  Israel  in  the  days  of  Pekah  (2 
Kings  XV.  29).  But  surely  the  Assyrian  king  did 
not  set  fire  to  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  or  the  reeds 
of  the  Jordan. 

Vers.  4-14.  A  justly  celebrated  section,  of  which 
Pressel  says  it  "  exhibits  Isaiah's  power  and  beauty 
of  language,  as  well  as  his  fullness  of  Messianic 
thought."  By  command  of  Jehovah  the  prophet 
assumes  the  office  of  a  shepherd  over  his  flock,  and 
feeds  it  until  he  is  compelled  by  its  ingratitude  to 
break  his  staves  of  office  and  give  up  the  sheep  to 
destruction. 

Ver.  4.  Thus  saith  Jehovah.  To  whom  does 
He  speak?  The  earlier  interpreters  said,  to  the 
Aiigel  of  the  Lord  or  Messiah.  But  this  is  dis- 
pr^'ed  by  the  commission  in  ver.  15  given  to  the 
same  person  :  Take  a^atn  the  implements  of  a  fool- 
ish shepherd,  seq.,  —  language  which,  as  all  admit, 
3ould  not  be  addressed  to  the  Messiah.  Others  say 
Xhat  the  prophet  in  his  individual  capacity  is  ad- 
dressed (Hitzig,  Ewald, e<  «/.),but  the  whole  stiiin 


of  the  passage,  the  illustrative  parallels  in  othei 
prophets,  the  destroying  of  other  shepherds  (ver. 
8),  and  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  all  show  that 
Zechariah  in  person  could  not  have  been  intended. 
It  remains  then  to  view  him  as  addressed  in  his 
typical  or  representative  capacity,  not,  however,  as 
standing  either  for  the  pro])hetic  order  (HoflTnian), 
or  the  mediatorial  office  (Kohler),  for  no  human 
agency  could  possibly  perform  the  works  here  re- 
counted ;  but  as  personating  the  great  Being  whc 
was  predicted  by  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  Ezekiel 
under  the  form  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  Flock  of 
slaughter.  Not  the  whole  human  race  (HoflFman), 
but,  as  nearly  all  agree,  the  nation  of  Israel.  Their 
condition  is  farther  described  in  the  next  verse. 

Ver.  5.  Whose  buyers,  etc.  Not  "  possessors," 
as  E.  v.,  but  "  buyers,"  both  because  this  is  the 
primary  signification  of  the  word,  and  because  the 
antithesis  of  "  sellers  "  in  the  next  clause  requires 
it.  These  buyers  and  sellers  are  those  who  do 
just  as  they  please  with  the  covenant  people,  con- 
sulting only  their  own  interests.  The  one  class 
slaughter  them  and  are  not  guilty,  i.  e.,  do  not 
incur  blame,  so  far,  at  least,  as  the  mere  act  is  con- 
cerned, since  they  only  execute  what  is  a  righteous 
punishment  from  God.  This  statement  is  just  the 
reverse  of  the  one  in  Jer.  ii.  3,  "  Israel  is  holy  to 
Jehovah  ...  all  who  devour  him  become  guilty, 
evil  will  come  upon  them,"  where  it  appears  that 
while  Israel  was  holy,  none  could  injure  him  with- 
out incurring  guilt.  Now,  however,  the  case  is  dif- 
ferent.   Cf  Jer.  li.  6  (in  Hebrew),  where  the  same 

word,  di7S,  is  used.  The  other  class  say.  Blessed 
be  Jehovah,  etc.,  i.  e.,  they  make  merchandise  of 
the  people,  and  yet  consider  the  gains  thus  made 
perfectly  honest,  such  as  they  can  properly  thank 
God  for  bestowing.  These  buyers  and  sellers  are 
heathen  rulers  and  oppressors.  The  last  clause 
completes  the  picture  by  setting  forth  their  own 
shepherds,  i.  e.,  their  domestic  rulers,  civil  and 
ecclesiastical,  as  those  who  do  not  spare  them,  —  a 
pregnant  negative. 

Ver.  6.  For  I  will  no  more  .  .  .  saith  Jeho- 
vah. This  verse  assigns  the  reason  for  the  direc- 
tion given  in  ver.  4.  Jehovah,  being  about  to  visit 
upon  his  people  the  just  desert  of  their  sins,  will 
yet  make  one  more  eflFort  to  save  them.  If  this 
fails,  they  will  be  given  up  to  the  worst  evils,  name- 
ly, inward  discord  and  subjugation  to  a  stranger. 
Thus  apprehended,  the  land  is  the  land  of  Israel, 
and  its  inhabitants  =  the  flock  of  slaughter  (Cal- 
vin, Hengstenberg).  Others  (Keil,  Kohler)  take 
the  phrase  as  =  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  sup- 
pose the  sense  to  be  that  Jehovah  will  no  longer 
suffer  them  to  oppress  his  people  with  impunity. 
This  is  grammatically  possible,  but  needlessly  di- 
verts the  current  of  thought  in  the  passage,  which 
is  the  sins  and  sufferings  of  the  chosen  people. 
His  king,  i.  e.,  foreign  oppressor.  Cf  Hos.  xi.  5. 
The  last  clause  fitly  completes  the  sad  picture. 

Ver.  7.  And  I  fed,  etc.  The  prophet  assumes 
the  duty  enjoined  upon  him.  He  undertakes  to 
discharge  the  functions  of  a  shepherd  to  a  flock 
which  is  in  a  very  sad  condition,  —  so  much  so  ai 
to  be  already  devoted  to  destruction.  That  is, 
dropping  the  figure,  he  proposes  to  guide  and  feed 
and  defend  a  people  so  wicked  and  hardened  that 
they  are  on  the  point  of  being  given  over  to  the 
just  retribution  of  their  sinful  ways.  He  begins 
by  assuming  the  implements  of  office.  I  took 
.  .  .  two  staves,  such  as  shepherds  use.     One  of 

these    he    named  D?3,   which    most  expositon 


CHAl^TER  XI.  1-17 


85 


(Ewald,  Umbreit,  Keil,  Henderson)  render,  Grace 
or  Favor,  but  it  is  better  to  adhere  to  the  primary 
BiKnification  of  the  word,  Beauty  or  Loveliness 
•  Hitzig,  Hengstenberg,  Maiirer,  Kohler),  as  in  Ps. 
xxvii.  4,  xc.  17,  beauty  of  Jehovah  ^all  that  makes 
Him  an  object  of  affection  or  desire.  Of  course, 
the  staff  denotes  the  loveliness,  not  of  the  people 
(Bleek),  but  of  God.     The  other  staff  he  named 

Z.y  ^f .  This  word  the  LXX.  ((rxo»'i<TM")  ^^^  t^he 
Vulgate  (funiculi)  seem  to  have  read  as  if  pointed, 
C-^/^n,  for  which  there  is  no  authority.  As  it 
stands,  the  word  is  masc.  plural  of  Kal  participle. 
Luther,  and  many  others  after  him,  render  "  de- 
stroyers," but  the  verb  never  has  this  meaning  in 
the  Kal.  Another  class  render  it  "  the  hound  "  or 
"the  allied"  (Hitzig,  Hengstenberg,  Maurer, 
Kliefoth),  but  this  would  require  a  passive  partici- 
ple. It  only  remains  to  adopt  the  legitimate,  natural 
sense  —  "binders,  or  binding  ones"  (Marckius, 
Gesenius,  Fiirsc,  Keil).  The  plural  maj-  be  ex- 
plained as  a  plural  of  excellence,  and  the  general 
sense  is  well  enough  expressed  by  the  E.  V.,  hands. 
(Gesenius  says,  Constrimjens  poelice  pro  fane) .  And 
I  fed  the  flock,  i.  e.,  with  these  two  staves,  one  in- 
dicating God's  favor  and  protection  from  outward 
foes  ;  the  other,  an  internal  union  and  fellowship. 
The  next  verse  shows  what  he  did  in  the  discharge 
of  this  office. 

Ver.  8.  And  I  cut  off.  .  .  .  one  day.  Who  are 
the  three  shepherds?  Forty  different  answers 
have  been  given,  which  may  thus  be  classified  : 
(1.)  Those  who  referred  them  to  individuals,  from 
Jerome's  Moses,  Aaron,  and  Miriam,  to  Calmet's 
Roman  emperors,  Galba,  Otho,  and  Vitellius.  The 
impossibility  of  any  agreement  upon  the  point 
shows  that  three  distinct  persons  cannot  be  in- 
tended. (2.)  The  "  later  criticism  "  maintains  that 
the  three  shepherds  are  the  three  kings  of  Israel, 
Zechariah,  Shallum,  and  Menahem ;  but  these 
were  not  cut  off  in  one  month,  and  even  if  that 
designation  of  time  were  referred  (as  it  cannot  be) 
to  the  duration  of  their  reigns,  it  would  a]jply  only 
to  one  of  them,  Shallum;  2  Kings  xv.  10-1.3. 
Nor  was  their  cutting  off  an  act  of  mercy  even  to 
Israel,  which  the  cutting  off  in  the  text  is  evidently 
meant  to  be.  (3.)  Others  suppose  that  the  phrase 
points  to  the  three  imperial  rulers  who  became 
liege-lords  of  the  covenant  nation,  i.  e.,  the  Baby- 
lonian, Medo-Persian,  and  Macedonian  dynasties 
{ Ebrard,  Kliefoth,  Kohler,  Keil).  But  it  is  not  con- 
sistent with  usage  to  call  these  shepherds ;  in  no 
conceivable  sense  were  they  cut  off  in  one  month  ; 
when  cut  off  they  were  succeeded  b\'  another,  a 
fourth,  quite  as  much  an  oppressor  of  God's  people 
as  they  were ;  and  besides,  Babylon  was  already 
destroyed  at  the  time  Zechariah  wrote.  (4.)  It  is 
better  to  fall  back  on  the  old  opinion  (Theodoret, 
Cyril),  that  the  three  shepherds  are  the  three  orders 
by  which  Israel  was  ruled,  —  the  civil  authorities, 
the  priests,  and  the  prophets.  These  three  classes 
are  mentioned  together  in  Jer.  ii.  8,  18  as  pervert- 
ers  of  the  nation  and  causers  of  its  destruction. 
And  although  in  the  future  to  which  the  passage 
refers,  there  were  no  longer  prophets,  yet  there  was 
a  class,  the  Scribes  or  teachers  of  the  law,  who 
Btood  in  the  same  relation  to  the  people,  and  part- 
ly, at  least,  discharged  the  same  functions.  See 
the  three  classes  mentioned  by  our  Lord  in  Matt. 
xvi.  21 .  In  one  month  =  in  a  period  which  is  long 
when  compared  with  one  day,  but  brief  as  con- 
trasted with  other  periods  of  time.  "  It  shows  that 
the  extermination  of  the  three  shepherds  is  not  to 


be  regarded  as  a  single  act  like  the  expiation  (iii 
ix.),  but  as  a  continuous  act  which  occupies  some 

time"  (Hengstenberg).  The  plural  suffix,  C.^Z, 
in  the  next  clause,  My  soul  became  impatient 
.  .  .  abhorred  me.  by  the  earlier  interpreters  and 
by  Hengstenberg,  Kliefoth,  et  al.,  is  refern^d  to  the 
shepherds,  but  it  is  certainly  more  natural  to  refer 
it  to  "  the  flock  "  in  ver.  7,  and  consider  the  clause 
as  furnishing  the  reason  of  the  rejection  stated  in 
the  next  verse,  which  is  evidently  aimed  at  the 
Jewish  nation  as  a  whole.  The  (rood  Shepherd 
lost  patience  with  their  perverse  impenitence,  and 
they,  on  the  other  hand,  loathed  him  for  his  spirit- 
uality and  holiness. 

Ver.  9.  And  I  said.  .  .  .  flesh  of  the  other. 
The  shepherd  renounces  his  flock.  I  will  not  feed 
you,  i.  e.,  I  will  no  longer  be  your  shepherd.  The 
futures  in  the  second  half  of  the  verse  are  by  some 
taken  strictly  as  predictions,  but  it  is  more  vivid 
and  more  natural,  like  the  older  versions,  to  render 
them  optatively  in  the  sense  of  surrender.  All 
kindly  control  is  withdrawn,  and  the  flock  is  left 
to  receive  the  appropriate  consequences  of  its  fatal 
rejection  of  the  means  of  deliverance.  The  three 
forms  of  calamity  menti(jned  are  death  by  natural 
cau.ses,  plague  or  famine ;  violence  at  the  hand 
of  foreign  foe ;  and  intestine  discord.  On  the  last 
clause,  compare  Is.  ix.  20,  21.  The  fulfillment  of 
these  words  in  the  history  of  Jerusalem  is  well 
known. 

Ver.  10.  And  I  took  my  staff.  .  .  .  nations. 
What  is  predicted  in  the  foregoing  verse  is  here 
exhibited  in  a  symbolical  action  —  the  breaking  of 
the  staff.  Beauty,  —  the  explanation  of  which  is 
immediately  added.  The  Lord  will  remove  the 
restraint  which  He  had  hitherto  laid  upon  the  en- 
mity of  foreign  nations.  See  this  restraint  from 
violence  expressed  in  the  form  of  a  covenant  in 

Job  V.  23;  Hos.  ii.  18;  Ezek.  xxxiv.  25.  U^'TpV 
has  here  its  usual  sense  of  peoples  or  nations,  and 
not  that  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  as  Calvin  and  some 
of  the  moderns  affirm  (cf  xii.  6  ;  Micah  iv.  5). 

Ver.  11.  And  it  was  destroyed  .  .  .  word  of 
Jehovah.  The  covenant  was  annulled,  just  as  the 
staff  had  been  broken;  the  thing  signified  an- 
swered to  the  sign.  This  was  not  observed  by  the 
flock  at  large,  but  the  wretched  portion  of  it,  tha 
small  company  who  gave  heed  to  the  Lord  (cf. 
John  X.  4,  5,  14,  15),  recognized  the  fulfillment  of 
a  divine  word  (cf.  Jer.  xxxii.  8).  "In  that  day,'' 
I.  e.,  that  in  which  the  staff  was  broken. 

Ver.  12.  And  I  said  to  them.  ,  .  .  pieces  of 
silver.  To  them  would  at  first  sight  refer  to  the 
wretched  among  the  sheep  just  mentioned,  but  the 
connection,  and  the  form  of  the  inquiry,  which 
aims  simply  to  ascertain  whether  they  are  willingr 
to  acknowledge  and  appreciate  his  pastoral  care, 
show  that  it  must  be  addressed  to  the  whole  flock. 
His  leaving  the  matter  to  their  pleasure — "if  it 
seem  good,"  —  indicates  that  he  served  them  not 
for  wages,  but  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  will 
(Kohler).  The  wages,  however,  were  due.  They 
are  usually  explained  to  mean  repentance  and 
faith  or  heartfelt  piety.  What  they  offered  was 
thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  compensation  for  a  siLve 
who  had  been  killed  (Ex.  xxi.  32),  the  price  for 
which  a  female  slave  could  be  purchased  (Hos.  iii. 
2 ).  Such  an  oft'er  was  "  more  oft'ensive  than  a  direct 
refusal"  (Hengstenberg).  Accordingly  it  was  con- 
temptuously rejected,  as  the  next  verse  shows. 

Ver.  13.  And  Jehovah  said.  ...  to  the  pot" 
ter.     As  the  prophet  acted  in   the  name  of  th« 


86 


ZKCIIAHIAU. 


Lord,  the  Lord  regards  the  wages  of  the  shepherd 
as  offered  to  Himself,  and  therefore  tells  his  repre- 
sentative what  to  do  with  the  miserable  sum.  "  The 
noble  price  at  whicli  I  am  valued"  is,  of  course, 
an  ironical  expression,  —  one  of  the  few  instances 
iu  Scripture  in  which  that  form  of  speech  occurs. 
This  renders  it  exceedingly  improbable  that  the 
Lord  would  direct  such  a  sum  to  be  put  into  the 
treasury,  as  many  interpret  his  words,  "  Throw  to 

the  potter,"  to  mean,  either  taking  "^^1"^  to  be  a 

copyist's  error  for  "I^IS  =  treasury  or  treasurer 
(Syr.,  Kimchi,  et  cd.)  ;  or  altering  the  last  vowel 
of  the  former,  and  making  it  synonymous  with  the 
latter  (Jahn,  Hitzig) ;  or  deriving  the  word  from 
the  intransitive  'H^i'^,  to  be  narrow,  and  rendering 
it  "  cleft  ia  the  treasure  chest,"  which  Pressel 
claims  as  a  ■well-grounded  and  simple  explanation  ! 
There  is  no  authority  for  altering  the  text,  and 

"^V^^  always  means  an  image-maker  or  potter.  It 
seems  clear  that  the  phrase  is  a  sort  of  proverb,  and 
is  used  contemptuously,  like  our  common  saying, 
Throw  it  to  the  dogs.  So  much  is  evident,  even  if 
we  reject  the  account  which  Hengstenberg  gives  of 
its  origin.  He  argues  from  Jer.  xviii.  2,  xix.  2, 
that  tfiere  was  a  potter  employed  aljout  the  Tem- 
ple, that  his  workshop  was  in  the  Valley  of  Hin- 
nom,  which  from  the  time  of  Josiah  had  been  fear- 
fully polluted  in  every  possible  way,  and  that  hence 
his  pottery  became  an  unclean  spot.  He  insists 
that  our  passage  contains  an  allusion  to  the  act  of 
Jeremiah  (ch.  xix.)  when,  with  several  of  the  elders 
and  priests  he  went  to  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  and 
there  broke  a  potter's  earthen  vessel,  and  said, 
"  Even  so  will  I  do  unto  this  place,  saith  the  Lord, 
as  one  breaketh  a  potter's  vessel  that  cannot  be 
made  whole  again,  and  the\'  shall  bury  them  in  To- 

phet  because  there  is  no  more  room and  I  will 

make  this  city  like  Tophet."  Hengstenberg  claims 
that  the  casting  of  the  thirty  pieces  to  the  ])otter 
was  simply  a  renewal  of  the  old  symbol  and  a  fresh 
pledge  of  God's  purpose  to  punish.  It  is  objected 
to  ±is  view  with  much  force  that  the  potter  did 
not  certainly  dwell  in  Hinnom,  and  that  if  he  did, 
this  fact  would  not  make  him  ]jersonally  unclean. 
Ko'hler  explains  the  phrase  as  meaning, ''  The  sum 
is  just  large  enough  to  pay  a  jiotter  tor  the  pitch- 
ers and  pots  which  he  furnishes,  and  whicli  are 
thought  of  so  little  value  that  men  are  easily  com- 
forted for  the  breaking  of  any  by  the  thought  that 
others  can  readily  be  obtained  in  their  stead." 
This,  however,  does  not  account  for  the  word 
"  Throw,"  which  is  emphatic.  It  is  best  to  rest  in 
the  general  conception  of  a  contemptuous  rejection 
of  the  offered  wages.  In  the  execution  of  the  com- 
mand the  prophet  threw  the  money  in  the  house 
of  Jehovah,  which  Hengstenberg  explains  as  mean- 
ing that  it  was  to  be  carried  thence  to  the  ])otter, 
in  reply  to  which  it  is  justly  said  that  if  that 
were  the  prophet's  meaning,  he  ex])resses  himself 
very  obscurely.  The  circumstance  is,  no  doubt, 
gignificant,  and  may  express  either  that  the  rejec- 
tion of  the  wages  was  done  in  Jehovah's  name  and 
by  his  authority,  or  that  being  done  in  the  sanc- 
tuary where  the  people  assembled  for  worship,  it 
indicated  that  they  would  be  held  accountable  for 
their  course.  This  shameful  pay  menu  by  the  peo- 
ple leads  to  another  token  of  Jehovah's  dis])leasure. 
Vcr.  14.  And  I  broke  .  .  .  and  Israel.  The 
evil  threatened  here  is  worse  than  the  former.  It 
is  the  loss  of  all  fraternal  unity,  represented  under 
the  figure  of  the  old  disruption  of  the  naticn  in 
the  time  of  Jeroboam.     This  verse  is  a  sad   iiffi- 


culty  in  the  way  of  those  who  refer  the  comto 
sition  of  the  Secontl  Part  of  Zechariah  to  a  period 
prior  to  the  Captivity,  for  to  account  for  this  verse 
they  must  put  the  period  back  to  the  days  of  Sol- 
omon, which  is  quite  inconceivable.  The  breaking 
up  of  the  nation  into  parties  bitterly  hostile  to  each 
other,  was  one  of  the  most  marked  peculiarities  of 
the  later  Jewish  history,  and  greatly  accelerated 
the  ruin  of  the  popular  cause  in  the  Roman  war. 

Vers.  15-17.  Since  Israel  rejected  the  good 
shepherd,  they  should  be  tended  by  she])herds  of  a 
very  different  class.  This  truth  is  represented  by 
a  fresh  symbolical  action. 

Ver.  15.  And  Jehovah  said  ....  shepherd. 
Again  points  back  to  ver.  7,  and  shows  that  the 
present  action  is  of  the  same  symbolic  character 
as  the  one  there  recorded.  A  crook,  a  bag,  a  pipe, 
a  knife,  etc.,  were  the  articles  usually  carried  by 
shepherds.  The  nature  of  these  other  implements 
is  not  specified,  but  they  were  doubtless  of  a  char- 
acter fitted  rather  to  injure  than  to  benefit  the 
flock.  Foolish,  with  the  usual  Scriptural  impli- 
cation of  wickedness.  "  The  term  directs  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  the  rulers  of  the  nation  are  so 
blinded  by  the  judicial  punishment  inflicted  by 
God,  as  to  be  unable  to  see  that  whilst  their  fury  is 
directed  against  the  nation  they  are  undermining 
their  own  welfare"  (Hengstenberg).  Who  is 
meant  by  this  evil  shepherd  ?  The  "  later  critics  " 
say,  Pekah,  or  Hosea,  or  Menahem.  Others  say, 
Herod  (Henderson),  the  Romans  (Hoffman,  Kiih- 
ler,  Keil),  or  the  whole  body  of  native  rulers 
(Hengstenberg).  I  prefer  to  combine  the  last  two 
and  understand  the  shepherd  to  represent  the  rul- 
ing power  in  whomsoever  vested.  The  point  of 
the  prediction  is  that  just  they  who  ought  to  pro- 
tect and  aid  the  people  would  oppresis  and  destroy 
them.  They  are  presented  in  the  form  of  an  ideal 
unity  in  order  to  complete  the  antithesis  to  the  one 
good  she])herd.  The  next  verse  describes  the  con- 
duct of  this  evil  ruler. 

Ver.  16.  For  behold  I  raise  ....  break  off. 
He  does  the  very  opposite  of  what  Christ  is  repre- 
sented as  doing  in  Is.  xlii.  3.  He  not  merely  neg- 
lects, but  destroys  (cf  Ezek.  xxxiv.  3,  4).  The 
perishing.  The  present  rendering  in  the  text  is 
equally  grammatical  with  the  past  adopted  in  E. 
v.,  and  more  consistent  with  the  verb  visit.  The 
whole  verse  is  striking  in  its  complete  enumeration 
of  particulars,  showing  how  tar  this  evil  ruler  falls 
short  of  what  is  involved  in  the  oriental  concep- 
tion of  a  shepherd.  The  history  of  Israel  after 
the  flesh  furnishes  for  centuries  one  continuous 
commentary  upon  the  fidelity  of  this  delineation. 
The  breaking  off  of  hoofs  expresses  the  ferocious 
greed  of  the  shepherds  who  will  rend  even  these 
extremities  rather  than  lose  a  shred  of  the  flesh 
This  is  better  than  the  view  (Ewald,  Hitzig)  which 
makes  it  refer  to  injuries  caused  by  driving  the 
flock  over  rough  and  stony  roads.  But  these 
merciless  masters  are  to  meet  due  retribution. 

Ver.  17.  Woe  to  the  worthless  .  .  .  blinded. 
The  arm  is  the  organ  of  strength,  the  right  eye 
of  vigilance.  As  these  are  the  members  which  in- 
stead of  guarding  the  flock  as  they  should  have 
done,  shamefully  abused  it,  they  are  specified  as 
the  objects  of  punishment.  The  apjjarent  jumble 
of  metaphorical  expressions  in  threatening  a  sv/ord 
upon  the  arm  and  the  eye,  and  then  declaring  that 
the  former  shall  be  withered  and  the  other  blinded, 
has  led  some  (Jahn,  Btinsen,  Pressel)  to  give  tc 

^'nrr  the  pointing   UTIH  =  dryness  (as  Vulgate, 
Arab,  and   Sam.  have  dune  iu  Deut.  xxviii.  22) 


CHAPTER  XI.  1-17. 


87 


But  it  is  better  to  allow  that  the  Prophet  connects 
several  punishments  tosrether  in  order  to  render 
prominent  the  greatness  of  the  retribution.  The 
sacred  writers  are  not  concerned  about  the  require- 
ments of  an  artificial  rhetoric  where  the  sense  is 
abundantly  plain  (cf.  Is.  Ixii.  .5).  A  similar  rea- 
son may  have  led  Rosenmiiller  to  follow  the  Chal- 
dee  in  changing  the  verse  tVom  the  liveliest  poetry 
into  the  jejunest  prose  by  rendering,  "  Woe  to  the 
shepherd  who  is  like  a  butcher,  whose  knife  is  in 
his  hand  and  whose  eye  is  upon  the  sheep  to  slay 
t.hem." 

THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  rejection  of  Israel  after  the  flesh  is  the 
one  sad  subject  of  tliis  chapter.  The  picture  is 
wholly  dark,  unrelieved  by  a  single  ray  of  light. 
The  impression  made  by  the  opening  verses,  the 
vivid  startling  prelude,  is  deepened  all  the  way 
through  to  the  end.  A  whirlwind  of  flame  sweeps 
through  the  entire  land,  laying  waste  mountain 
and  plain,  forests  and  meadows,  and  drying  up 
even  streams  and  rivers.  Men  and  beasts  are  over- 
taken together,  and  their  cries  of  terror  and  de- 
spair indicate  the  completeness  of  the  fiery  ruin. 
It  seems  as  if  the  Prophet,  rismg  with  the  awful 
grandeur  of  his  theme,  had  condensed  into  a  few 
poetic  lines  the  substance  of  the  long  chapters  in 
which  Moses  of  old  had  predicted  the  divine  judg- 
ment upon  an  unfaithful  people.  The  national  Is- 
rael had  enjoyed  peculiar  privileges,  but  such  priv- 
ileges always  draw  with  them  increased  responsi- 
bility. As  Jehovah  said  by  the  mouth  of  Amos 
(iii.  2),  "  You  only  have  I  known  of  all  the  fami- 
ilies  of  the  earth  ;  therefore  will  I  punish  you  for 
all  your  iniquities."  Repeatedly  in  the  course  of 
their  previous  history  had  God  visited  them  with 
his  rod,  but  there  had  always  been  a  recovery. 
War,  pestilence,  or  famine  had  executed  his  wrath  ; 
or  they  were  sold  into  the  hand  of  their  enemies 
for  a  longer  or  shorter  period  ;  and  once  they  had 
actually  been  transplanted  into  a  foreign  land 
where  they  remained  for  more  than  two  genera- 
tions. But  in  the  end  the  rorl  was  lifted  off,  and 
they  resumed  their  former  condition.  Now,  how- 
ever, there  was  to  be  a  final  act  of  judgment,  one 
stiraming  uj)  in  itself  all  that  had  gone  before,  and 
expressing  once  for  all  the  wrath  of  God  upon 
obdurate  impenitence.  The  unfaithful  trustees 
should  be  dispossessed  of  their  trust,  their  precious 
inheritance  given  to  others,  and  themselves  cast 
out  to  become  a  hissing  and  a  by- word.  Foreign 
foes  and  civil  discords  would  concur  to  work  their 
destruction,  and  they  who  should  be  their  ]n-otec- 
tors  would  become  their  oppressors.  So  without 
friends  or  helpers  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  they  would 
pass  away  as  an  organized  nation,  and  live  only 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  past  history, 
and  teach  more  vividly  its  great  lessons  of  sin  and 
retribution. 

2.  But  prior  to  the  consummation  of  this  great 
act  of  judgment,  before  the  fire  was  yet  kindled, 
the  Lord  determined  to  make  one  last  effort  to 
Ba\%  the  wretched  people.  This  is  set  forth  in  the 
striking  symbolism  of  the  chapter,  by  a  shepherd 
who  offers  to  take  charge  of  the  flock  notw'th- 
standing  its  miserable  condition.  Instead  of  bear- 
ing a  single  crook,  he  is  furnished  with  two  staves. 
These  have  names,  expressing  in  one  case  the  di- 
vine favor  which  wards  off  all  external  foes;  in  the 
other,  union  or  <onconi,  which  when  it  exists  ex- 
cludes the  evils  sure  to  be  engendered  by  mutual 
distrust  and   alienation.      But    the  diligence  and 


affection  of  the  shepherd  produced  no  effect.  The 
fore-doomed  flock  turned  away  from  hira  with 
loathing.  The  kindly  effort  miserably  failed.  The 
passage  bears  a  striking  analogy  to  th'-  parable  of 
the  wicked  husbandinen  (Matt.  xxi.  33,  34;  Mark 
xii.  1-12).  Tiie  lord  of  the  vineyaid  had  repeat 
edly  sent  messengers  to  receive  of  its  fruits,  but 
these  were  abused  and  injured  as  often  as  they 
were  sent.  "  At  last  he  sent  his  Son,  saying,  They 
will  reverence  my  Son."  But  even  this  means 
failed.  'JMic  Son  was  no  more  regarded  than  the 
servants  had  been.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  cast 
out  of  the  vineyard  and  slain.  The  contemporary 
Jews,  when  aske<l  by  our  Lord  what  would  be  the 
fate  of  these  wicked  husbandmen,  answered  prompt- 
ly that  they  would  be  miserably  desti-oyed,  and  the 
vineyard  let  out  to  others  who  would  render  the 
fruits  in  their  season.  They  thus  pronounced  theii 
own  sentence.  For  the  Saviour,  after  reminding 
them  of  the  stone  which  the  builders  rejected  and 
which  yet  became  the  head  of  the  corner,  declared 
with  great  solemnity,  "  Therefore  say  I  unto  you, 
the  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and 
given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof." 
Nothing  more  was  to  be  done.  The  last  and 
crowning  manifestation  of  the  divine  mercy  had 
been  made,  and  yet,  so  far  from  awakening  and 
reclaiming  the  infatuated  people,  it  only  incensed 
them,  and  brought  wrath  and  ill-doing  upon  the 
bearer  of  the  message.  Just  so  with  the  flock 
Zechariah  describes.  They  had  the  services  of 
Him  who  justly  calls  himself  the  Good  Shepherd, 
under  whom  all  may  find  protection  and  repose, 
green  pastures,  and  running  streams.  But  they 
would  none  of  Him.  He  came  unto  his  own,  and 
his  own  received  Him  not.  There  was  a  deliber- 
ate and  peremptory  rejection  of  God's  unspeak- 
aide  uift.  When  the  furious  crowd,  gathered  be- 
fore the  tribunal  of  Pilate,  rent  the  air  with  shouts, 
"  Away  with  Him,  crucify  Him,"  the  Roman  gov- 
ernor asked  in  wonder.  Shall  I  crucify  your  king  ? 
Instantly  came  the  startling  answer  from  the  heads 
of  the  nation,  "  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar " 
(John  xix.  15).  These  decisive  words  terminated 
the  case.  Pilate  ceased  to  remonstrate,  and  ^j:avQ 
sentence  that  it  should  be  as  they  required.  Then 
was  filled  the  measure  of  Israel's  iniquity.  "  If  I 
had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them,  they  had  not 
had  sin ;  but  now  have  they  no  cloke  for  their  sin. 
....  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works 
which  none  other  man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin  ; 
but  now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both  me 
and  my  F:ither "  (John  xv.  22-24).  Israel  rejected 
the  good  shepherd,  and  was  itself  in  turn  rejected. 
The  two  staves  were  broken,  and  he  who  held 
them  relinquished  his  office.  Neither  Beauty  nor 
Bands  any  longer  performed  their  grateful  func- 
tion. Tobreak  a  shepherd's  crook  is  a  very  sim- 
]ile  act,  but  as  performed  by  one  who  represented 
the  Good  Shepherd,  it  expressed  a  most  fearfu. 
truth  —  the  final  abandonment  of  the  flock  by  the 
only  being  who  could  feed,  guide,  or  defend  it. 
Ever  since,  the  miserable  sheep  have  experienced 
the  we'ght  of  Jehovah's  words :  Woe  unto  them 
wilier  7    lejiart  from  them  ! 

3.  The  consideration  of  the  interesting  critical 
and  exegetical  questions  suggested  by  the  quota- 
tion of  vers.  12,  13,  in  Matthew  xxvii.  9,  10,  prop- 
erly  belong*  to  the  interpretation  of  that  Gospel. 
See  Lange  in  loc.  Although  the  Evangelist  attrib- 
utes the  language  he  cites  to  Jeremiah,  there  can 
scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  he  does  in  fact  quote  from 
Zechariah.  The  case  then  is  one  which  illustrates 
very  well  t'  e  principle  upon  which  such  apiilica 


88 


ZECHARIAH 


tions  of  the  Old  Testament  are  made.  The  sub- 
stance of  the  thought  contained  in  vers.  12,  13,  is 
that  the  services  of  the  good  shepherd  were  con- 
temptuously undervalued  and  rejected  by  the  flock, 
an'^  that  this  scornful  rejection  was  indignantly 
rebaked  by  the  Lord.  Now  this  would  have  been 
fulhlled  even  had  there  been  no  sale  by  Judas  for 
a  precise  sum  of  money,  and  no  application  of  that 
money  to  a  specific  purpose.  Just  as  in  the  cor- 
responding case  in  ix.  9,  10,  the  prediction  respect- 
ing our  Lord's  lowly  and  peaceful  position  and 
character  would  have  been  accomplished,  had  He 
not  made  his  formal  entry  into  Jerusalem  riding 
upon  an  ass.  But  it  pleased  the  Lord  in  that  case 
and  in  this,  not  only  to  fulfill  the  general  purport 
of  the  prediction,  but  even  to  bring  about  an  exact 
correspondence  in  minor  and  unessential  details. 
Thus  in  the  prophecy,  Israel  depreciates  the  worth 
of  the  shepherd's  services,  estimating  them  at 
thirty  pieces  of  silver;  in  the  narrative  of  the  gos- 
pels it  appears  that  this  is  the  precise  sum  for 
which  the  Saviour  was  betrayed.  In  the  prophecy, 
the  sum  paid  for  the  possession  of  the  shepherd 
was  indignantly  cast  away  by  him ;  in  the  history 
it  was  so  ordered  by  the  Lord  that  the  priests  and 
elders  did  not  dare  to  put  in  the  treasury  the  price 
of  the  Saviour's  blood,  for  they  said,  "  it  is  not 
lawful."  In  the  prophecy  the  thirty  pieces  of 
silver  are  thrown  to  the  potter,  t.  e.,  contemptu- 
ously spurned,  yet  this  is  done  in  the  temple ;  in 
the  history  the  money  which  the  wretched  traitor 
had  received  was  brought  back  by  him  to  those 
who  had  given  it,  and  when  they  declined  to  take 
it,  "  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  tem- 
ple ; "  but  the  ecclesiastical  authorities,  unwilling 
to  apply  the  coin  to  any  sacred  use,  devoted  it  to 
the  purchase  of  ground  to  be  used  as  a  burying 
place  for  strangers,  and  the  land  which  they  pur- 
chased was  "  the  potter's  field,"  a  field  which  doubt- 
less was  selected  because  it  was  so  broken  and 
marred  as  to  be  unfit  for  agricultural  purposes, 
but  which  yet  in  its  very  name  contained  a  pecu- 
liar suggestireness.  Thus  did  divine  providence 
bring  about  a  striking  correspondence  between 
the  symbolical  treatment  and  action  of  the  prophet 
and  the  actual  course  of  events  in  the  betrayal  and 
rejection  of  our  Saviour. 

4.  The  choice  of  men  never  lies  between  a  good 
shepherd  and  none  at  all,  but  between  a  good 
shepherd  and  a  bad  one.  Israel  of  old  rejected 
the  gracious  provision  offered  by  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  the  alternative  was  ruin.  The  language  of 
the  prophet  is  vigorous  and  incisive.  He  describes 
a  shepherd  who  not  only  fails  in  every  duty  of  his 
oflSce,  but  does  the  exact  opposite,  wounding  where 
he  should  heal,  and  devouring  whom  he  should 
feed,  until  the  tlock  is  miseral»ly  destroyed.  But 
even  more  forcible  arc  the  words  of  the  Saviour 
(Luke  xix.  41),  when  he  wept  over  Jerusalem, 
saying,  "  If  thou  liadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least 
in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  to  thy 
peace  !  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes.  For 
the  days  shall  come  upon  thee  that  thine  enemies 
shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee  and  compass  thee 
round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and  shall 
lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children 
within  thee ;  and  they  shall  not  leave  one  stone 
upon  another,  because  thou  knowest  not  the  time 
of  thy  visitation."  The  fulfillment  of  these  fearful 
words  is  well  known.  The  ruin  of  the  place  and 
peo]ile  was  overwhelming.  Scarce  any  siege  in 
the  history  of  the  world  was  attended  with  such 
cruelties  and  horrors  as  preceded  and  followed  the 
(all  of  Jerusalem.     There  was   a  deliberate  and 


energetic  effort  to  exterminate  the  race.  Th« 
whole  power  of  the  Roman  Empire  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  this  one  province,  as  Merivale  says, 
"  with  a  barbarity  of  which  no  other  example 
occurs  in  the  records  of  civilization."  And  the 
subsequent  history  of  the  Jctvs  for  many  centuries 
illustrated  in  the  same  manner  the  symbol  of 
Zechariah.  Their  rulers  were  evil  shepherds, 
mock  shepherds.  Giving  nothing,  they  exacted 
everything.  They  taxed,  they  pillaged,  they  op- 
pressed, they  insulted,  habituaily  and  on  principle. 
The  Jew  was  an  outcast  without  any  rights,  and 
when  tolerated  it  was  only  as  a  sponge  to  be 
squeezed  when  it  was  full.  The  furious  crowd 
in  the  judgment  hall  of  l^ilate  said,  "  His  blood 
be  on  us  and  on  our  children."  They  were  taken 
at  their  word,  and  the  self-imposed  malediction 
followed  them  from  age  to  age  and  from  country 
to  country,  and  does  not  seem  even  yet  to  have 
been  exhausted. 

5.  God  often  uses  instruments  which  He  after- 
wards destroys,  scourging  with  a  rod  and  then 
breaking  the  rod  and  casting  it  into  the  fire.  The 
worthless  shepherds  who  battened  like  vultures 
on  the  wretched  flock  of  Judaea,  the  haughty  Ro- 
mans who  inflicted  the  divine  judgments  upon  the 
apostate  and  incorrigible  nation,  were  themselves 
in  turn  exposed  to  a  righteous  retribution.  The 
time  came  when  there  was  a  sword  upon  their 
arms  and  their  eyes.  She  who  had  spoiled  so 
many  lands  and  peoples  was  herself  spoiled,  and 
the  city  which  had  gathered  into  her  walls  the 
precious  things  of  all  the  earth  became  the  prey  of 
the  barbarian.  Her  former  inhabitants  have  dis- 
appeared from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  new  races 
occupy  their  seats,  while  the  Jew  still  lives,  the 
lineal  and  indubitable  descendant  of  the  men 
among  whom  our  Lord  was  born  and  by  whom  Ha 
was  rejected.  The  arch  of  Titus  commemorates 
in  pictured  stone  the  overthrow  of  Judaea  and  the 
plunder  of  its  sacred  vessels,  but  it  likewise  com- 
memorates the  overthrow  of  the  conqueror  and  the 
utter  ruin  of  that  vast  empire  which  survives  only 
in  these  mute  relics  of  its  ancient  grandeur. 


HOMILBTICAL   AND   PRACTICAL 

MooKE  .  ver.  6.  Wicked  rulers  are  a  curse  of 
God  on  a  wicked  nation.  Now  as  religion  tends 
to  prevent  such  rulers,  or  at  least  prevent  theii 
choice,  there  is  an  obvious  connection  between 
politics  and  religion.  Church  and  State  may  and 
ought  to  be  separated  ;  politics  and  religion  ought 
not,  for  thus  the  State  becomes  exposed  to  the 
curse  of  God,  and  political  evil  follows  in  the  train 
of  moral  evil.  —  Ver.  7.  Bands.  Union  of  feeling 
in  a  ])eople  is  a  mark  of  the  favor  of  God,  and  dis- 
union a  token  of  his  wrath,  and  usually  the  begin- 
ning of  a  downfall.  —  Ver.  8.  Christ  cannot  be 
rejected  with  impunity.  Even  the  Jews  who  "  did 
it  igiiorantly  in  unbelief,"  paid  a  terrible  penalty 
for  their  crime  ;  how  much  more  terrible  will  be 
the  punishment  of  those  who  have  all  their  unbe- 
lief without  any  of  their  ignoiince. — Ver.  12.  Men 
now  sometimes  reject  Christ  for  a  far  less  reward 
that)  thirty  ])ieces  of  silver,  and  of  course  with  far 
more  guilt  than  Judas. 

VVoitDSWORTH  :  Ver.  10.  Break  my  covenant 
with  all  peoples.  "  When  the  Most  High  divided 
to  the  tuitions  their  inheritance,  when  he  separated 
the  sons  of  Adam,  He  set  the  bounds  of  the  people 
according  to  the  number  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
for  the  Lord's  portion   is  his  people,  Jacob  is  lh€ 


CHAPTERS  XII.-XIV. 


89 


lot  of  his  inheritance"  (Dent,  xxxii.  8,  9).  This 
was  God's  compact  with  all  nations  and  with 
Israel.  He  assigned  a  s]ieclal  inheritance  to  Ju- 
dah  ;  and  no  people  could  deprive  them  of  it  as 
long  as  they  were  true  to  Him.  But  now  that  they 
have  rejected  Christ,  He  has  broken  that  compact ; 
Jerusalem  is  trodden  down  by  the  Gentiles,  and 
the  Jews  are  wanderers  and  outcasts  in  all  lands. 
—  Ver.  1.5.  A  foolish  Shepherd.  Good  shepherds, 
Bays  Cyril,  have  a  light  pastoral  staff  by  which 
they  guide  the  sheep  ;  but  the  evil  shepherd  mal- 
treats and  belabors  the  sheep  with  rude  handling. 
So  in  spiritual  things,  the  good  Christian  pastor 
deals  gently,  tenderly,  and  lovingly  with  his  flock; 
but  the  bad  pastor  is  impatient  and  rules  them 
with  roughness  and  violence  ;  and  does  not  bring 
back  the  sheep  when  astray,  nor  guard  them 
against  the  wolf  and  the  robber,  nor  heal  those 
which  are  sick  ;  and  does  not  feed  them  with  the 
wholesome  food  of  sound  doctrine,  but  with  poison- 
ous heresies.  —  Ver.  17.  The  Idol  Shepherd.  It 
would  not  be  easy  to  point  out  any  other  shepherd 
who  makes  himself  to  be  an  idol,  except  the  Bishop 
of  liome.  That  he  does  make  himself  into  an  idol 
is  certain.  The  first  act  that  he  performs  after  his 
election  is  to  go  into  the  Church  of  St.  Peter,  and 
there  taking  his  seat  upon  the  high  altar  to  claim 
and  receive  adoration  from  the  cardinals  who  kiss 
his  feet.    Among  the  medals  struck  in  the  Roman 


mint  is  one  representing  the  cardinals  kneeling 
before  the  Pope,  with  this  inscription,  Qnem  creant, 
adorant.  Count  Montalemhert,  in  a  letter  wiitte* 
from  his  death-bed,  Februai-y  28,  1870,  protested 
against  those  vttaries  of  the  papacy  who,  as  h€ 
says,  "  trample  under  foot  all  our  liberties  and 
principles,  in  order  to  immolate  justice  and  truth, 
reason  and  history,  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  idol  which 
they  have  set  up  for  themselves  in  the  Vatican." 

Calvin.  A  Prayer:  Grant,  Almighty  God, 
that  since  thou  hast  hitherto  so  paiicntly  endured, 
not  only  our  sloth  and  folly  but  also  our  ingrati- 
tude and  perverseness,  —  O  grant,  that  we  may 
hereafter  render  ourselves  submissive  and  obedient 
to  Thee ;  and  as  thou  hast  been  pleased  to  set  over 
us  the  best  of  Shepherds,  even  thine  only  begotten 
Son,  cause  us  willinji^ly  to  attend  to  Him,  and  to 
suffer  ourselves  to  be  gently  ruled  by  Him  ;  and 
though  thou  mayest  find  in  us  what  may  justly 
provoke  thy  wrath,  yet  restrain  extreme  severity, 
and  so  correct  what  is  sinful  in  us,  as  to  continue 
our  Shepherd  until  we  shall  at  length  under  thy 
guidance  reach  thy  heavenly  kingdom  ;  and  thus 
keep  us  in  thy  fold  and  under  thy  pastoral  staflF, 
that  at  last,  being  separated  from  the  goats,  we 
may  enjoy  that  blessed  inheritance  which  has  been 
ordained  for  us  by  the  blood  of  thy  beloved  Sop 
—  Amen. 


B.    THE  SECOND  BURDEN. 


Chapters  Xn.-XIV. 


The  fresh  title  here  prefixed  sufficiently  indicates  that  a  new  pericope  begins  with  chapter  xii.  Its 
leading  themes  are  the  victory  of  God's  kingdom  over  the  heathen  world  (xii.  1-9),  the  repentance 
and  conversion  of  the  children  of  the  kingdom  (xii.  10;  xiii.  1),  their  purification  from  all  ungodli- 
ness (xiii.  2-6),  a  severe  sifting  of  the  flock  consequent  upon  the  smiting  of  the  shepherd  (xiii.  7-9), 
and  the  final  tremendous  conflict  of  the  Church  and  the  world,  ending  in  the  assured  victory  of  the 
former  (xiv.). 

If  our  view  of  the  First  Burden  be  correct,  it  would  seem  to  follow  that  the  second  begins  where 
the  first  leaves  ofl^,  and  treats  of  events  to  follow  the  coming  and  rejection  of  Christ.  There  are  in- 
deed many  particulars  which  suggest  the  struggle  of  the  Maccabees  as  the  subject  of  the  former  part 
of  the  twelfth  chapter  ;  but  that  has  already  been  treated  of  in  the  ninth  chapter  with  specific  men- 
tion of  Javan  or  Greece  as  the  antagonist,  and  why  should  we  have  it  renewed  here  1  Why  should 
the  Prophet  halt  in  his  progress  and  go  back  over  trodden  ground?  Moreover,  the  twelfth  chapter 
expressly  speaks  in  several  places  of  the  conflict  as  carried  on  not  against  one  nation,  but  against  all 
the  peoples  of  the  earth  (see  ver.  3).  There  is  an  aspect  of  universality  of  which  no  sign  at  all  ap- 
pears in  the  portion  ix.  11  -x.  7.  It  is  the  heathen  world  against  the  covenant  people.  Where  now 
are  we  to  look  for  the  outward  reality  corresponding  to  this  inward  vision  of  the  Prophet  ?  Mani- 
festly there  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  the  literal,  national  Israel  which  approaches  conformity  to  this 
vivid  outline.  Never  did  they  not  only  resist  their  foes,  but  inflict  such  damage  upon  them  as  could 
be  compared  to  the  ravages  of  fire  among  wheat  sheaves.  The  covenant  people  maintained  their  in- 
ternal constitution  and  religious  usages  until  the  days  of  Titus,  but  in  no  case  did  they  devour  all 
nations  roundabout  on  the  right  hand  and  the  left.  It  only  remains  then  to  hold  that  the  Prophet 
here  passes  from  the  old  to  the  new  form  of  the  Church,  that  he  refers  to  the  kingdom  of  God  on 
earth  after  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah,  and  describes  its  trials  and  triumphs,  its  inward  and  out- 
ward development. 

But  does  he  refer  to  events  yet  fixture,  or  may  we  trace  a  fulfillment  of  his  words  in  the  past  ?  The 
latter  seems  the  more  probable.  As  there  was  a  chronological  advance  in  the  previous  oracle,  it  is 
natural  to  look  for  one  here,  and  to  consider  that  the  Prophet  refers  to  different  stages  in  the  progress 
of  the  Christian  Israel.  In  this  view  the  struggle  and  victory  in  xii.  1-9  can  hardly  have  any  other 
reference  than  to  the  persecutions  of  the  heathen  world.  Judah  invaded,  Jerusalem  besieged  by  the 
■ations,  and  yet  the  attempt  at  overthrow  not  only  foiled  but  recoiling  in  the  ruin  of  those  who  made 
it,  —  what  else  can  this  be  than  the  fierce  and  bloody  onslaught  of  pagan  power  on  the  infant  Church? 
Or  if  Zechariah  intended  to  set  it  forth,  in  what  other  way  could  he  in  his  historical  relations  conceive 
the  issue  and  its  result  than  the  way  in  which  it  is  given  here  "?  Nor  is  it  of  use  to  object  that  this  i? 
spiritualizing  arbitrarily.  The  Christian  Church  is  the  legitimate  continuation  of  the  Old  Testament 
Israel.     There  is  but  one  Israel,  one  pe»ple  of  God  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.     According  to  the 


90  ZEcmvRiAii. 


Apostle's  fi<T:ure,  old  branches  were  broken  off  and  new  ones  grafted  on,  but  tnere  was  only  the  ona 
olive  tree  throiialiout.  Gentiles  when  they  come  to  Christ,  are  incorporated  into  the  commonwealtl 
of  Israel,  so  as  to  become  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  /.  e.,  those  who  are  already  such  (Eph.  iL 
12-19).  It  is  one  and  the  same  body,  differing  in  outward  and  unessential  characteristics,  but  main- 
taining an  unbroken  identity  in  all  that  belongs  to  substance  and  life. 


1.   ISRAEL'S  CONFLICT  AND  VICTORY. 

Chapter  XII,  1-9. 

A.  Jehovah's  continuous  Agency  in  Nature  (ver.  1).  B.  Jerusalem  ruinous  to  her  Besiegers  (ren.  8-4) 
C.  Energy  of  the  Chiefs  of  Judah  (vers.  5-7).  D.  Promise  of  growing  Strength  to  the  FeebU  (tW 
8).     E.    Final  Result  (ver.  9). 

1  The  burden  of  the  word  of  Jehovah  upon  Israel, 
Saith  Jehovah  who  stretches'  forth  the  heavens, 
And  lays  the  foundation  of  the  earth, 

And  forms  the  spirit  of  man  within  him. 

2  Behold  I  make  Jerusalem  a  bowl  *  of  reeling 
To  all  the  peoples  ^  round  about, 

And  upon  Judah  also  shall  it  be  * 
In  the  siege  against  Jerusalem. 

3  And  it  shall  be  in  that  day,  I  will  make  Jerusalem 
A  burdensome  stone  for  all  peoples, 

All  who  lift  it  shall  tear  themselves  ; 

And  ^  all  nations  of  the  earth  shall  gather  against  it. 

4  In  that  day,  saith  Jehovah, 

I  will  smite  every  horse  with  terror,® 
And  his  rider  with  madness. 

And  upon  the  house  of  Judah  I  will  open  my  eyes, 
And  every  horse  of  the  peoples  will  I  smite  with  blindnen* 
6  And  the  chiefs  ^  of  Judah  shall  say  in  their  heart, 
The  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  are  my  strength* 
In  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  their  God. 

6  In  that  day  I  will  make  the  chiefs  of  Judah 
As  a  pan^  of  fire  among  sticks  of  wood,^" 
And  as  a  torch  of  fire  in  a  sheaf, 

And  they  shall  devour  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left 

All  the  peoples  around. 

And  Jerusalem  shall  yet  sit  in  her  own  place  in  Jerusalem. 

7  And  Jehovah  shall  save  the  tents  of  Judah  first," 
That  the  glory  of  the  house  of  David, 

And  the  glory  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
May  not  exalt  itself  over  Judah. 

8  In  that  day  will  Jehovah  defend  '^  the  inhabitant  of  Jerusalem, 
And  the  stumbling  '^  among  them  in  that  day  shall  be  as  David, 
And  the  house  of  David  as  God," 

As  the  angel  of  Jehovah  before  them. 

9  And  it  shall  be  in  that  day, 

I  will  seek  to  destroy  all  the  nations 
That  come  against  Jerusalem. 

TEXTUAL  AND   QRAMMATIOAL. 

1  Ver.  1.  —  Who  streufies,  lays,  forms.  The  substitution  of  the  preterite  for  the  partiolple  by  some  tiaaalaton  no< 
inly  la  gratnitous  and  iaaccurate,  but  hides  the  allusion  to  the  creative  power  of  Qod  as  constantly  exhibited  in  the  oon- 
ttaned  existence  of  his  works. 

3  Ver.  2.  —  r]0.     This  wore)  Hengstenberg,  in  the  first  edition  of  his  Christology  (followed  by  Virm»),  rendered  thruk 
keU,  but  in  the  sec  on  i,  he  returns  to  the  old  and  better  version  cup  or  howl. 
•  Ver.  2     -  I.^^L''.     litre  and  in  vers.  8,  4,  6,  peoples-     See  on  viii.  20. 


CHAPTEE  XII.  1-9. 


91 


*  Ver.  2-  —  The  rendering  of  the  second  clause  in  the  E.  V.  is  impossible  grammatically,  and  is  sustained  by  no  ks 
(hority  that  I  have  seen. 

5  Ver.  3.  —   SJ51'      ^'  '^  possible  but  not  necessary  to  render,  as  B.  V.,  "  though  all,"  etc. 

6  Ver.  4.  —  'jin^n.  Astonishment  hardly  expresses  the  force  of  this  word,  which  denotes  a  sort  of  wondering  con- 
Iternatiou. 

7  Ver.  5.  —  n^ vS  head  of  a  family  or  tribe,  is  not  well  rendered  as  in  E.  V.,  by  prince,  which  necessarily  impliet 
lomething  of  kingly  rank  or  power.  As  a  title  of  authority  it  is  elsewhere  in  Scripture  used  only  of  the  heads  of  the 
Idumean  tribes  (Gen.  xxxvi.  15  ;  Ex.  XT.  15  ;  1  Chron.  i.  51  ff.),  whence  Hengstenberg  deduces  an  ingenious  argument 
Ki  favor  of  the  genuineness  of  the  second  part  of  Zechariah  (Christology,  iv.  67),  cf.  on  ix.  7. 

8  Ver.  5.  —  nQ^S   oItt.  Aev.  =  33SW.      **  V   is  the  dative  of  advantage,  and  the  singular  is  used  collectively  as  ia 

TU.    3. 

9  Ver.  6  —  ni^2,  usually  a  basin  for  washing  (the  laver  of  the  tabernacle,  Ex.  xzx.  18),  here  is  a  pot  or  p&n  ta 
soals. 

10  Ver.  6.  —  D"'l?27  is  not  "  woods  "  =  forest,  but  sticks  of  wood  or  faggots. 

11  Ver.  7  —  The  reading  rT3trS~lD3,  adopted  by  LXX.,  Vulgate,  and  Peshito,  and  foond  in  five  MSS.,  is  manifestly 
due  to  an  attempt  at  correction. 

12  Ver.  8.  —  72"^  used  with  another  preposition  in  tlie  same  sense,  in  ix.  16. 

13  Ver.  8.  —  ^W'D'2,  feeble  (E.  V.),  is  not  so  expressive  as  the  literal,  stumblet ;  cf.  Ps.  ct.  87,  "  And  not  a  stumblei 
In  his  tribes".    (Is!  v.  27.) 

14  Ver.  8.  —  D^nvS  may  here  be  used  as  an  abstract  plural,  denoting  what  is  divine  and  heavenly,  or  in  general 
cuperhuman  (cf.  1  Sam.  xxviii.  13 ;  Ps.  viii.  6),  — a  view  which  seems  to  render  more  obvious  the  contrast  between  tha 
.wo  latter  clauses  of  the  verse.  LXX.  renders  "  house  of  Qod,"  which  Lather  follows,  and  wliich  accounts  for  the  Vnl< 
gate,  "  tt  domus  David  quasi  Dei." 

A  lively  exhibition  of  the  failure  of  the  nations  in 
their  attack  upon  Jerusalem.  Zechariah  employs 
the  figure  common  in  the  older  Prophets,  of  repre- 
senting Jehovah's  wrath  as  a  wine-cup  which  mad- 
dens and  infatuates  nations  doomed  to  ruin.  God 
will  administer  such  a  potion  as  will  make  them 
reel  and  fall  in  hopeless  weakness  and  misery  (cf. 
Ps.  Ixxv.  9,  and  Is.  li.  17-22;  Jer.  xxv.  15-17). 

What  elsewhere  is  DID  =  cup,  here  is  P?  ^  basin 
or  bowl,  the  latter  being  used,  perhaps,  because 
many  were  to  drink  of  it  at  the  same  time.  And 
upon  Judah  also  ....  Jerusalem.  What  is  to 
be  "  upon  Judah  ? "  An  old  and  wide-spread  opin- 
ion says  that  it  is  a  forced  participation  in  the 
siege  of  the  capital  (Targum,  Vulgate,  Groiius, 
Marckius,  and  many  later  critics) ;  but  this  is  not 
required  by  the  text,  nor  consistent  with  the  con- 
text, which  indicates  union  rather  than  opposition 
between  the  country  and  the  capital.  Others  say, 
the  bowl  of  reeling  (Kimchi,    Hitzig,    Maurer,  et 

al.),  but  this  would  require  the  preposition  7  in- 
stead of  v37.  Kohler  proposes  to  supply  ~n2Q 
as  the  subject,  but  this  is  forbidden  by  the  awk- 
ward sentence  it  would  make,  and  by  the  fact  that 
only  a  city  and  not  a  land  can  be  besieged.  It  is 
better  to  assume  as  the  subject  the  substance  of 
the  previous  clause, — what  takes  place  at  Jeru- 
salem ;  and  the  meaning  is  that  the  country  and 
the  capital  shall  be  involved  in  the  same  trial. 

Ver.  3.  And  it  shall  be  ....  a  burdensome 
stone.  The  Prophet  employs  another  figure  bor- 
rowed, according  to  the  general  opinion,  from  one 
of  the  sports  of  the  young  men  in  Palestine  de 
scribed  by  Jerome  as  still  subsisting  in  his  day. 
They  who,  overrating  their  strength,  try  to  lift  a 
stone  too  heavy  for  them,  not  only  fail,  but  suflFer 
sprains  and  dislocations.  Such  a  fate  will  befall 
the  foes  of  Jerusalem,  i.  e.,  all  peoples,  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  for  so  extensive  is  the  com- 
bination against  the  holy  city. 

Ver.  4.  In  that  day  ....  blindness.  Horses 
and  riders  represent  the  warlike  forces  of  the  en- 
emy.  The  terrifying  and  blinding  of  these  makes 
them  injurious  only  to  themselves.     Upon  Judah, 


EXEQETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

This  chapter  begins  the  second  half  of  the  last 
division  of  Zechariah's  prophecies.  It  commences 
with  the  same  word  as  does  the  portion  chaps,  ix.- 
xi.,  but  in  a  different  application.  Both  utterances 
are  burdens,  i.  e.,  threatening  predictions.  The 
former  sets  forth  calamity  as  the  portion  of  God's 
enemies,  whether  within  or  without  the  ranks  of 
his  covenant  people.  The  latter  represents  the 
same  as  involving  temporarily  and  partially  his 
own  chosen  followers,  but  in  the  end  these  attain 
complete  deliverance. 

Ver.  1.  Burden.  See  on  ix.  1.  /'3z=upon 
or  concerning,  not  against.  The  calamity  involves 
Israel,  but  its  full  scope  takes  in  the  general  body 
of  the  ungodly.  Israel  =.  the  covenant  nation, 
either  in  itself  or  as  found  in  its  true  successor, 
the  Christian  Church.  The  Jewish  interpreters, 
say  the  former,  and  with  them  many  Christian 
critics  agree  (Theodoret,  Calvin,  a  Lapide,  Gro- 
tius,  Vitringa,  Bleek,  etc.),  while  an  equal  number 
adopt  the  latter  (Jerome,  Cyril,  Luther,  Albertus 
Magnus,  Cocceius,  Marckius,  Calmet,  Hengsten- 
berg). "Who  stretches  forth  the  heavens,  ff. 
For  the  purpose  of  allaying  any  possible  doubt  as 
to  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy,  there  are  added 
to  Jehovah's  name  several  striking  expressions  of 
bis  Almighty  power  (cf.  Is.  xlii.  5  ;  Am.  iv.  13 ; 
Ps.  civ.  2-4).  The  Scriptures  know  nothing  of 
the  mechanical  view  of  the  universe  as  something 
from  which  God,  after  having  created  it,  stands  al- 
together aloof.  "  Every  day  He  spreads  out  the 
heavens,  every  day  He  lays  the  foundation  of  the 
earth,  which  if  it  were  not  upheld  by  his  power 
would  wander  from  its  orbit  and  fall  into  ruin  " 
(Hengstenberg).  The  reference  to  God's  forma- 
tion of  the  human  spirit  is  intended  to  suggest 
tha.*  unrestrained  and  continuous  agency  by  which 
He  2ontrols  the  thoughts  and  purposes  of  men, 
and  is  able  therefore  to  accomplish  his  own  pur- 
poses through  them,  or  in  spite  of  them  (cf.  Num. 
tvi.  22;  xxvii.  16;  Ps.  xxxiii.  15  ;  Prov.  xxi.  1. 

Ver.  2.   Behold,  I  make  ....  round  about. 


\)2 


ZECHARIAH. 


on  the  contrary,  which  stands  here  for  the  whole 
nation,  Jehovah  says,  I  will  open  my  eyes,  i.  e., 
for  protection  (Ps.  xxxii.  8  (Heb.),  1  Kings  viii.  29  ; 
Neh.  i.  6).  Cowles  justly  calls  attention  to  the 
beautiful  antithesis.  "  God  smites  with  blindness 
the  warring  powers  of  his  foes,  but  opens  his  own 
eyes  widt  on  his  people,  to  see  and  provide  for 
their  wants.  '  The  three  plagues  mentioned  are 
precisely  those  with  whicli  Moses  threatened  rebel- 
lious Israel  in  Dent,  xxviii.  28  :  "  The  Lord  shall 
smite  thee  with  madness,  and  blindness,  and  aston- 
ishment of  heart."  A  tine  historical  illustration 
of  the  effect  of  sudden  blindness  is  seen  in  the  his- 
tory of  Elisha  (2  Kings  vi.  18). 

Ver.  5.  And  the  chiefs  of  Judah  ....  my 
strength.  That  the  leaders  find  their  strength  in 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  can  mean  only  that 
the  holy  city,  made  such  by  the  election  of  the 
Most  High  who  dwells  there,  insures  his  protec- 
tion for  all  who  seek  Him  in  the  appointed  way, 
and  that  even  the  most  dignified  and  powerful 
have  no  other  resource.  A  parallel  sentiment  is 
found  in  Ps.  Ixxxvii.  2  :  "  The  Lord  loveth  the 
gates  of  Zion  more  than  all  the  dwellings  of 
Jacob." 

Ver.  6.  In  that  day  ....  in  a  sheaf.  In 
consequence  of  this  trust  in  the  divine  election, 
the  leaders  consume  their  foes  on  every  hand  as  a 
basin  of  fire  devours  faggots,  or  a  torch  burns  up 
a  ripe  sheaf.  The  resulting  preservation  of  the 
city  is  stated  in  the  last  clause,  in  which  the 
first  Jerusalem  =^  the  population  personified  as  a 
woman,  and  the  second  =  the  material  city  as 
such.     For  the  reverse  condition,  see  Is.  xlvii.  1. 

Ver.  7.  And  Jehovah  shall  save  .  .  .  Judah. 
The  word  tents  stands  in  contrast  with  fortified 
cities.  These  spread  over  the  open  country  Jeho- 
vah will  save  Jirst,  in  order  that  the  well-defended 
capital  may  not  lift  itself  above  the  defenseless 
land,  but  that  both  may  acknowledge  that  "  in 
either  case  the  victory  is  the  Lord's"  (Jerome). 

Ver.  8.  Will  Jehovah  defend  ....  angel  of 
Jehovah.  The  Loi'd  will  exalt  his  people  to  a 
degree  of  strength  and  glory  far  transcending  any- 
thing in  their  past  experience.  This  is  expressed 
by  saying  that  even  the  stumbler,  one  who  can 
scarce  hold  himself  up,  much  less  attack  a  foe, 
shall  become  a  hero  like  David  ;  and  even  David's 
house  shall  exceed  its  highest  fame  of  old,  shall 
become  like  God,  nay,  like  the  angel  of  Jeho- 
vah, that  peculiar  manifestation  of  Deity  which 
once  marched  at  the  head  of  the  armies  of  Israel. 
This  very  striking  and  beautiful  climax  is  of  itself 
an  answer  to  those  who  depreciate  the  literary 
merit  of  Zechariah.  But  the  rhetorical  excellence 
of  the  passage  falls  far  below  its  consolatory  and 
stimulating  power  as  a  promise.  Before  them 
(of.  Ex.  xxxii.  34;  xxiii.  20). 

Ver.  9.  I  will  seek  to  destroy  ....  Jeru- 
salem. This  does  not  mean  to  seek  out  in  order 
to  destroy,  but  is  spoken,  ?«o?-e  humano,  to  express 
the  energetic  purpose  of  the  speaker. 

This  prophecy  is  supjjoscd  by  Vitringa,  C.  B. 
Michaelis,  Dathe,  and  others,  to  refer  to  the  deal- 
ings of  God  with  the  national  Israel  in  the  end  of 
the  world,  in  the  last  gi-eat  struggle  of  ungodliness. 
It  is  manifestly  easier  to  interpret  the  passage  in 
its  details  upon  this  literal  view  of  its  application. 
And  yet  there  is  great  improbability  in  such  a  view. 
Why  should  the  prophet,  after  de])icting  so  vividly 
the  rejection  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  the  conse- 
quent overthrow  of  the  flock,  pass  at  once  to  the  final 
Kene,  overlooking  all  the  splendid  triumphs  of  the 
truth  during  the  intervening  period  1     Would  we 


not  naturally,  from  the  case  itself  and  from  th« 
usage  of  the  other  prophets,  expect  some  allasioy 
to  the  great  changes  in  the  developmer.t  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  to  its  progressive  increase 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth?  Moreover,  if  the 
national  Israel  are  hereafter  to  be  restored  to  theii 
own  land  and  to  resume  the  old  relations  of  capital 
and  country,  on  what  ground  can  we  look  for  a 
consentaneous  attack  of  all  nations  upon  this  one 
small  people  and  territory  7  Can  any  imagination 
conceive  the  recurrence  of  a  general  movement, 
like  that  of  the  Crusades,  precipitating  the  men 
aiul  means  of  a  continent,  not  to  say  a  world,  upon 
the  sacred  soil  of  Palestine "?  Oi'  course,  such  a 
thing  is  possible,  but  in  view  of  the  vast  changes 
in  the  current  of  human  thought,  in  the  economy 
of  states  and  emjiires,  in  the  ways  in  which  racea 
and  dynasties  seek  to  increase  or  perpetuate  their 
influence,  and  in  the  distribution  of  political  and 
social  power,  it  is  the  most  unlikely  of  all  conceiv- 
e  events.  Were  the  Jews  to-day  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Holy  Land,  and  that  whether  converted 
or  unconverted,  what  motive  could  there  be  for  any 
existing  nation  or  combination  of  nations  to  assail 
the  seed  of  Abraham  with  fire  and  sword  1  If  it  be 
claimed  that  there  will  be  a  revival  of  the  bloody 
]n"opagandism  of  infidelity  or  atheism,  as  at  one 
period  of  the  French  Revolution,  why  should  such 
an  outburst  be  directed  against  Jerusalem  or  Jew- 
ish believers  rather  than  against  the  strongholds  ol 
the  Gospel  found  among  Gentile  believers  1  Such 
an  attack,  if  successful,  would  hardly  affect  more 
than  an  outpost  of  the  Christian  Church.  The 
great  body  of  the  means  and  resources  of  evangel- 
ical Christendom  would  remain  unimpaired.  It  is, 
therefore,  more  natural  to  consider  thxs pericope  as  a 
general  statement  not  only  of  the  Christian  Israel's 
victory  over  the  first  ten  persecutions,  but  of  the 
result  of  all  its  conflicts  with  the  world's  power  as 
they  are  renewed  from  age  to  age. 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  The  fundamental  thought  in  the  conception 
of  God  is  that  of  Power.  Alike  in  the  Scriptures 
and  in  human  experience  we  begin  our  view  of  the 
Most  High  with  the  fact  of  creation.  In  looking  at 
the  world  around  us  we  have  an  intuitive  and  irre- 
sistible conviction  that  this  visible  eflTect  must  have 
had  an  invisible  cause,  a  cause  adequate  to  its  pro- 
duction. The  universality  of  this  conviction  in  all 
ages  and  lands,  —  rendered  only  the  more  striking 
by  the  occasional  exceptions  which  history  dis- 
closes, —  entitles  us  to  rest  in  it  with  absolute  cer- 
titude. But  the  power  which  created  the  world 
must  be  unlimited.  He  who  without  an  efibrt'and 
by  a  simple  volition  called  the  universe  into  lj\;ing, 
can  do  all  things.  To  Him  great  and  small,  high 
and  low,  difficult  and  easy,  are  practically  the  same. 
All  things  are  possible  with  God.  But  if  He  be 
infinite  in  this  direction,  He  must  be  equally  so  in 
all  others.  What  is  there,  what  can  there  be,  to 
limit  any  other  aspect  of  his  nature  1  Boundless 
power  implies  necessai'ily  boundless  wisdom  and 
boundless  goodness.  A  truncated  Deity,  perfect  on 
one  side,  but  imperfect  on  others,  is  inconceivable 
l)y  us,  or  if  the  vain  attempt  be  made  to  hold  such 
an  inconsequent  view,  the  result  is  either  Dualism 
or  Polytheism. 

Hence  the  perpetual  recurrence  in  the  Scripture* 
to  this  attribute  of  Jehovah.  It  is  as  necessary  to 
our  practice  as  to  our  theories.  In  all  the  course 
of  the  individual  believer  and  of  the  Church  aJ 


CHAPTER  XII.  1-9. 


93 


large,  there  occur  seasons  when  there  is  no  other 
support  for  faith  and  hope  than  the  divine  oninip- 
Dtence.  We  must  look  up  to  Hiia  wlio  stretcheth 
abroad  the  heavens  and  hiyeth  the  foundation  of 
the  earth  and  formeth  the  spirit  of  man  within 
him.  To  feel  that  all  thinj^s  material  and  imnui- 
terial  lie  at  his  control  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the 
potter  is  a  buttress  of  the  believing  soul.  It  sus- 
tains in  the  darkest  lioius  of  trial  ;  it  encouragos 
in  the  endeavor  after  the  most  difficult  enterprises. 

(I  It  is  a  thought  which  ever  makes 
Life's  sweetest  smiles  from  tears  ; 
It  is  a  daybreak  to  our  hopes, 
A  sunset  to  oiu- fears." 

2.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  when  at  a  con- 
ference of  Andrew  Rivet  with  the  king  of  France, 
the  latter  thn'arcned  some  severe  measures  against 
the  cause  of  truth,  the  sturdy  reformer  answered, 
"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,  the  Church  of  God 
is  an  anvil  which  hath  broken  a  great  many  ham- 
mers." It  is  even  so.  Zion  is  a  burdensome  stone, 
and  always  has  been,  to  her  assailants  They  have 
harmed  not  her,  but  themselves.  Pharaoh  pursued 
the  children  of  Israel  and  caught  them  "  entan- 
gled in  the  land,  shut  in  by  the  wilderness,"  but 
when  he  sought  to  spring  the  trap,  they  escaped  in 
safety,  while  he  and  his  host  sank  like  lead  in  the 
mighty  waters.  The  Philistines  captured  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant,  but  no  defeat  was  ever  so  dam- 
aging to  Dagon  or  his  worshippers  as  this  seeming 
triumph.  Babylon  rioted  in  the  plunder  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  impious  king  turned  the  sacred  ves- 
sels of  the  sanctuary  into  the  drinking  cups  of  an 
idolatrous  revel,  but  the  fingers  of  doom  wrote  upon 
the  wall  a  sentence  which  numbered  and  finished 
his  days  the  same  night.  Herod  sought  to  slay  the 
infant  Redeemer,  but  while  the  child  was  safe  in 
Egypt,  the  cruel  king  perished  by  a  painful  and 
loathsome  disease.  So  in  the  bloody  persecutions 
which  attended  the  introduction  of  Christianity, 
one  and  another  took  up  the  Church  as  a  stone  to 
toss  hither  and  thither,  but  in  vain.  The  stone 
was  unharmed,  but  the  lifters  were  torn  and  lacer- 
ated. All  were  made  to  feel  what  the  dying  Julian 
uttered  in  his  despair,  "  O  Galilean,  thou  hast  con- 
quered !  "  Here,  more  than  anywhere  else,  is  ful- 
filled the  saying  of  the  devout  Psalmist,  "  The 
Lord  is  known  by  the  judgment  which  He  exe- 
cuteth ;  the  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his 
own  hands"  (ix.  16).  Every  assault  upon  Zion 
recoils  upon  the  heads  of  its  authors,  and  that  not 
simply  by  virtue  of  "  the  elastic  nature  of  right 
according  to  which  every  infliction  calls  forth  a 
counter  infliction  ;  "  but  in  consequence  of  the  de- 
terminate counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God  who 
taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness.  Times  i 
without  number  has  his  providence  justified  the 
earnest  counsel  which  Pilate's  wife  gave  to  the 
Roman  governor  in  the  great  crisis  of  his  life,  — 
Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man. 

3.  Yet  when  Zion  prevails,  over  her  foes,  this 
result  is  not  owing  to  any  human  or  inherent 
strength,  but  to  the  presence  and  power  of  Jeho- 
vah. /  make  Jerusalem  a  bowl  of  reeling ;  1 
make  her  a  burdensome  stone;  /  smite  every  horse 
with  blindness  ;  /  make  the  chiefs  of  Judah  a  pan 
of  fire  ;  Jehovah  saves,  Jehovah  defends.  Thus, 
throughout,  the  stress  is  laid  upon  the  divine  arm. 
This  is  the  essential  factor  in  the  case.  On  human 
principles,  or  according  to  the  ordinary  operation 
of  cause  and  effect,  the  world  would  prevail.  Often 
every  advantage  is  on  its  side;  arms,  wealth,  in- 
flaence,  state-craft,  learning,  prestige,  and  numbers. 


Yet  the  few,  the  weak,  the  unlettered,  the  lowly^ 
the  things  that  are  not,  bring  to  nought  the  things 
that  are.  The  reason  is  that  the  excellency  of  th< 
power  may  be,  and  may  be  seen  to  be.  not  of  man 
but  of  God.  In  all  efforts  of  evangelization  this 
truth  is  to  be  distinctly  recognized  and  made  prom- 
inent. For  the  Lord  will  not  give  his  glory  to  an- 
other. The  seer  said  to  Asa  (2  Chron.  xiv.  8), 
"  Were  not  the  Ethiopians  and  the  Luhims  a  huge 
host,  with  very  many  chariots  and  horsemei.  ?  yet 
hecnusfi.  thou  didst  relij  upon  the  Lord,  He  delivered 
them  into  thy  hand."  * 

4r.  There  is  something  stimulating  in  the  rich 
promise  of  growth  contained  in  Jehovah's  assur- 
ance to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  (ver.  8).  The 
stumbler,  the  man  who  can  scarce  hold  himself  up, 
much  less  make  an  assault  upon  the  foe,  shall  be 
made  a  mighty  man  of  valor  like  David.  Hia 
feebleness  and  incapacity  shall  merge  into  the 
strength  and  skill  of  a  hero,  for  the  Lord  shall 
teach  the  hands  to  war  and  the  fingers  to  fight. 
Nor  is  this  the  end.  Even  a  great  captain  like 
David  shall  surpass  himself,  shall  reach  a  super- 
human courage  and  decision.  He  shall  resemble  the 
manifested  Jehovah  as  he  marched  at  the  head  of  his 
conquering  host  in  the  days  of  old.  In  the  sphere 
of  spiritual  things  this  illustrious  promise  verifies 
itself.  The  righteous  shall  hold  on  his  way,  and  he 
that  hath  clean  hands  shall  wax  stronger  and  strong- 
er. Faith  gains  by  experience.  Grace  increases  by 
exercise.  The  sapling  which  once  bent  with  every 
blast  and  had  but  a  precarious  chance  of  life,  ripens 
into  a  gnarled  oak  which  spreads  its  branches  far 
and  wide  and  defies  the  storm.  It  is  literally  true 
that  no  degree  of  grace  is  impossible  to  him  that 
believeth,  for  the  Apostle's  declaration,  "  I  can  do 
all  things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me," 
did  not  apply  only  to  himself.  The  same  provis- 
ions and  promises  are  open  to  all  Christians.  He 
who  is  able  to  do  exceedinglj'^  abundantly  above  all 
that  we  ask  or  think,  perfects  his  strength  in  hu- 
man weakness,  and  the  trembling  believer,  follow- 
ing on  to  know  the  Lord,  is  lifted  to  a  pitch  of  de- 
votion or  endurance  or  activity  which  once  seemed 
as  far  away  as  the  fixed  stars. 


HOMILETICAL  AND   PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  /  will  open  mine  eye,  etc.  The  prom- 
ise of  God  is  the  best  protection  of  his  Church  in 
the  time  of  peril.  He  may  seem  to  forget  his  peo- 
ple in  their  trouble,  but  it  will  be  only  a  seeming  ob- 
livion, for  at  the  proper  time  He  will  open  his  eyes 
upon  them,  and  show  them  that  He  slumbers  not 
nor  sleeps.  That  the  glory  .  ...  do  not  magnifij, 
etc.  The  whole  plan  of  God's  dealings  with  man 
is  to  humble  that  pride,  the  root  of  which  is  self- 
ishness, and  the  fruit  of  which  is  every  form  of  sin. 

Pressel  :  The  affliction  of  the  Church  serves 
first  for  a  chastisement  of  God's  people,  but  then 
falls  back  in  terror  and  shame  upon  the  heads  of 
their  foes. 

Calvin  :  Though  the  Church  may  be  griev 
ously  tried  and  exposed  even  to  death,  let  us  learn 
from  this  passage  that  they  are  miserable  indeed 
who  through  fear  or  cowardice  separate  themselves 
from  her,  and  that  they  who  cast  on  God  the  care 
of  their  safety,  shall  be  made  blessed,  though  the 
whole  world  were  mad  against  them,  though  the 
weapons  of  all  nations  were  prepared  for  their 
ruin,  and  horses  and  riders  assembled  to  overthrow 
them,  for  the  defense  of  God  is  a  suflScient  proteo 
tion. 


y4  ZECHARIAH. 


2.    REPENTANCE  AND  CONVERSION. 

Chapters  XII.  lO.-XIII.  1. 

iL,  A  plentiful  Effusion  of  the  Spirit  causes  Men  to  look  upon  the  Jehovah  they  have  pierced,  and  Mown 
bitterly  (ver.  10).  B.  Greatness  of  the  Mourning  (ver.  11).  C.  Each  Family  mouma  separaUij 
(vers.  12-14).     D.  A  Provision  for  the  Penitents  (ch.  xiii.  1). 

10  And  I  will  pour  out  upou  the  house  of  David, 
And  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 

The  Spirit  ^  of  grace  and  supplication,^ 

And  they  shall  look  upon  me  ^  whom  they  pierced, 

And  they  shall  mourn  for  him  *  as  the  mourning  over  an  only  one, 

And  be  in  bitterness  *  for  him  as  one  is  in  bitterness  for  the  first-bom 

11  In  that  day  the  mourning  shall  be  great  in  Jerusalem, 

Like  the  mourning  of  Hadadrimmon  ^  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo. 

12  And  the  land  shall  mourn,  family  by  family  apart, 

The  family  of  the  house  of  David  apart  and  their  wives  apart, 
The  family  of  the  house  of  Nathan  apart  and  their  wives  apart. 

13  The  family  of  the  house  of  Levi  apart  and  their  wives  apart, 
The  family  of  the  Shimeite  ^  apart  and  their  wives  apart. 

14  All  the  remaining  families. 

Family  by  family  apart  and  their  wives  apart. 
Ch.  xiii.  1  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened 

To  the  house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 
For  sin  and  for  uncleanness. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GBAMMATIOAL. 

1  Ver.  10.  —  n^"1.  Noyes  and  Henderson  render  "  a  spirit,"  but  the  absence  of  the  article  is  eompenmted  by  tbt 
eoiurtruot  case  (Green,  H.  G.,  246,  3). 

2  Ver.  10  —  D'^3^"^nn  is  rendered  in  E.  V.  "supplications,"  but  as  the  word  occurs  only  in  the  plural,  it  is  doubt- 
less to  be  regarded  as  singular  in  sense.  The  Genevan  renders  compassion,  but  usage  is  altogether  in  favor  of  the  other 
meaning. 

3  Ver.  10.  —  ^^S  is  to  be  preferred  to  V^S,  because  grammatically  it  is  the  more  difficult  reading  ;  it  is  opposed 
to  the  favorite  opinions  of  the  Jews  ;  it  is  found  in  all  the  ancient  MSS.,  and  found  not  only  in  the  best  of  the  later 
ones  but  in  by  far  the  largs^t  number  of  them  ;  and  it  is  sustained  by  LXX.,  Aq.,  Symm.,  Theod.,  Syr.,  Targ.,  Vulg. 
and  Arab. 

4  Ver.  10-  —  VjV  cannot  be  rendered  "  on  account  of  it,"  because  v^  after  ^DD  always  denotes  the  person 
tor  whom  mourning  is  made,  and  in  all  the  following  instances  in  this  verse  in  which  it  occurs,  the  reference  is  undoubt- 
edly to  a  person. 

6  Ver.  10.  —  ~ll3n   is  best  understood  intransitively  with  its  cognate  finite  verb.     The  E.  V.  is  at  onoo  more  literal 

"     T 

knd  more  emphatic  than  attempted  emendations. 

6  Ver.  11.  —  "ji^^lTrrr.     a  an.  Key.  on  which  etymology  throws  no  light. 

T  Ver.  18.  —  "^ly^^^'n  =  The  Shimeite  —  a  patronymic  here  just  as  in  the  corresponding  case  (Num.  ill.  21). 


EXEQETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

This  passage  presents  a  complete  contrast  to  the 
one  immediately  precedinj;.  The  change  is  every 
way  startling.  There  is  not  a  word  of  war,  or  con- 
flict, or  victory,  no  reeling-cup  for  the  nations,  no 
torch  among  she.aves,  no  march  of  a  hero  at  the 
head  of  conquering  hosts.     On  the  contrary,  all  is 


one  feeling  pervades  all  hearts.  The  experience 
of  their  great  ancestor  recorded  in  the  51st  Psalm 
is  renewed  on  a  broad  scale,  and  a  great  sorrow 
spreads  over  the  communitj',  the  intensity  of  which 
is  likened  on  one  hand  to  that  occasioned  by  the 
sorest  domestic  affliction,  and  on  the  other  to  that 
of  a  great  public  calamity  felt  to  be  at  once  uni- 
versal and  irreparable.  Each  tribe  and  family  goe8 
apart  to  weep  in  silence  and  solitude  over  the  griev- 


anbjective,  subdued,  spiritual.     It  is  a  picture  of  1  ous  infliction.     What  now  is  the  nexus  between 


penitence  as  vivid  and  accurate  as  any  lound  any- 
where in  the  Scriptures.  The  people  are  seen 
standing  alone  in  their  relation  to  Him  whom  they 
have  rejected,  and  meditating  upon  the  character  of 
Iheir  great  crime.    One  thought  occupies  all  minds, 


this  passage  and  that  which  precedes  1  It  seems  to 
be  this.  As  the  former  portion  of  the  chapter  set 
forth  the  outward  protection  of  Providence  shown 
toward  the  New  Testament  Israel,  by  raears  of 
which  it  emerged  victor  from  all  trials  and  con 


CHAPTERS  XII.  10-XIII.  1. 


0^ 


flicts,  and  saw  its  enemies  utterly  discomfitted, 
this  portion  turns  to  the  other  side  of  Israel's  ex- 
perience and  deals  with  its  inward  character,  show- 
ing how  the  covenant  people  liecome  snch,  how 
the  Church  in  its  new  form  commences  the  Chris- 
tian life^  and  obtains  a  title  to  the  divine  protec- 
tion. It  is  by  the  bitter  herbs  of  repentatice.  lead- 
ing to  pardon  and  renovation  through  a  believing 
sight  of  the  pierced  Saviour,  —  the  whole  preceded 
and  induced  by  a  cojiious  shower  of  s])iritual  in- 
fluences of  the  same  kind  as  those  predicted  by 
Joel  (ii.  28),  Isaiah  (xliv.  3;  xxxii.  15).  In  this 
view  the  two  parts  of  the  chapter  correspond  to 
each  other  and  make  one  complete  whole.  The 
result  of  the  failure  of  the  shepherd  in  ch.  xi.  is 
shown  to  be  not  hnal  and  absolute,  but  a  link  in 
the  chain  of  events  which  works  out  the  fultill- 
ment  of  the  old  covenant  promises,  and  the  ingath- 
ering of  all  the  Israel  of  God. 

A  vast  spiritual  blessing  is  promised.  It  begins 
in  the  outpouring  of  a  gracious  Spirit,  which  pro- 
duces an  intense  and  wide-spread  penitential  sor- 
row, and  this  again  is  followed  by  purification  and 
forgiveness. 

Ver.  1 0.  And  I  pour  out  .  .  ,  .  supplication. 
The  house  of  David  and  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 
here  and  in  xiii.  1,  stand  for  the  whole  covenant 
people,  according  to  a  usage  by  which  the  capital 
represents  the  nation  (ii.  2  ;  viii.  8).  The  men- 
tion of  the  royal  house  indicates  that  all  ranks 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  need  and  shall  re- 
ceive the  promised  gift.  The  "  pouring  out "  rests 
upon  the  earlier  passage  (Joel  ii.  28),  and  differs 
from  it  in  defining  more  minutely  the  character  of 
the  effusion.  It  is  a  spirit  of  grace  and  suppli- 
cation, which  is  abundantly  bestowed.     ^H  is  not 

=  prayer  (Gesenius,  Noyes),  nor  love  (Ewald),  but 
grace  or  favor.  The  Spirit  of  grace  then  is  the 
Spirit  which  brings  grace  (cf.  Heb.  x.  29).  It  pro- 
duces in  the  mind  of  man  the  experience  of  the 
grace  of  God,  and  this  experience  rousing  the 
sense  of  sin  and  guilt,  naturally  leads  to  "  suppli- 
cation ;  "   and  this  in  turn  suggests  the  looking 

spoken  of.  ^"'^T'  is  applied  both  to  bodily  and 
mental  vision,  and  not  unfrequently  with  the  idea 
of  confidence  in  the  object  beheld  (Num.  xxi.  9  ; 
Is.  xxxii.  11  ;  Ii.  1).  The  phrase,  upon  me,  must 
refer  to  Jehovah,  for  according  to  ver.  1  He  is  the 

speaker  throughout.  The  HS  before  "^CPM,  as 
usual  defines  more  clearly  the  accusative,  and  thus 
renders  impossible  the  rendering  of  Kimchi,  be- 
cause. Ewald  and  Bunsen  prefer  the  reading  of 
a  number  of  MSS  ,  upon  him  instead  of  upon  me  ; 
but  the  authority  for  the  received  text  is  over- 
whelming, and  on  every  critical  ground  it  is  to  be 
adopted  (see  Text,  and  Gram.).  The  other  read- 
ing seems  to  have  arisen  from  an  attempt  to  cor- 
rect the  Hebrew  on  the  ground  that  it  was  impos- 
sible that  God  could  actually  be  pierced,  —  an  ob- 
iection  which  of  course  falls  away  at  once  when 
the  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  is  received.  Whom 

they  pierced,  ■''"'i^'7  ^^^  rendered  by  the  LXX. 
narapxiiaavTo,  reviled,  or  insulted,  probably  because 
they  thought  the  literal  meaning  of  the  word  un- 
suitable, since  they  similarly  avoided  it  in  render- 
ing xiii.  3,  where  the  E.  V.  has,  "  His  father  and 
his  mother  shall  thrust  him  through."  Several  Chris- 
tian critics  have  adopted  this  as  the  figurative 
meaning  of  the  verb,  and  translated  or  expounded 
Accordingly  (Theodore  of  iMopsuestia,  Calvin,  Gro- 
tios,  Rosenmiiller,  Gesenius,  Maurer) ;  but  entirely 


without  reason,  for  in  every  other  case  the  word  if 
confessedly  used  in  its  literal  sense  (Juda:  ix.  4.5  ;  1 
Sam.  .xxxi.  4  ;  Zech.  xiii.  3)  ;  and  the  .  ^dijiiouf 
mourning  subsequently  mentioned,  with  the  com- 
parisons by  which  it  is  set  forth,  the  Ijss  of  an 
only  son  or  a  first-born,  and  the  wail  over  the 
good  king  Josiah,  presupposes  the  occurrence  of  & 
literal  death.  But  the  point  is  put  beyond  ques- 
tion by  the  Apostle  John,  who  after  recountii^  th« 
act  of  the  soldier  who  pierced  the  Saviour's  side, 
adds  (xix  37),  "Another  Scripture  saith.  They 
shall  look  on  Him  whom  they  pierced  ;  "  of  course 
not  meaning  that  this  one  act  of  the  soldier  ex- 
hausted the  meaning  of  the  prophecy,  but  that  it 
was  u  fulfillment  of  it.  The  change  of  person  in 
the  quotation  —  him  whom  for  me  whom,  —  is  due 
simply  to  the  fact  that  in  the  Prophet  it  is  Messiah 
Himself  who  is  speaking,  while  in  the  Gospel  John 
speaks  of  Him.  Matthew  makes  a  similar  change 
of  person  in  his  quotation  (xxvii.  9).  The  remain- 
der of  the  verse  describes  the  result  which  is  to  fol- 
low from  this  looking  to  the  pierced  One.  And 
they  shall  mourn.  The  object  of  this  verb  is  put 
not  in  the  first  person,  as  we  should  expect,  but  in 
the  third,  for  him ;  but  such  an  enallage  of  per- 
son is  not  uncommon  in  Hebrew.  See  any  of  the 
grammars  for  examples.  That  the  pronoun  is  to 
be  in  the  masculine  and  not  in  the  neuter  (Gous- 
set,  Schultens,  etc.),  see  in  Text,  and  Graram. 
Mourning  over  an  only  son,  is  of  course  a  sign 
of  the  deepest  sorrow  (cf.  Amos  viii.  10).  Similar 
is  the  death-wail  over  a  first-born,  of  which  the 
great  instance  is  found  in  the  last  of  Egypt's  ten 
plagues  (Ex.  xi.  6).  There  was  an  incipient  ful- 
fillment of  this  prophecy  in  the  fact  mentioned  by 
Luke  (xxiii.  48),  that  at  Christ's  crucifixion,  "all 
the  people  ....  smote  their  breasts."  (The  prim- 
ary meaning  of  ^^p  is  to  strike,  especially  on  the 

breast).  But  the  true  fulfillment  began  when  the 
multitudes  at  Pentecost  were  pricked  to  the  heart 
(Acts  ii.  37). 

Ver.  11.  The  mourning  shall  be  great,  fF. 
The  Prophet  furnishes  an  historical  illustration  of 
the  greatness  of  the  mourning.  The  reference  is 
generally  supposed  to  be  to  the  lamentation  over 
Josiah,  who  was  mortally  wounded  "  in  the  valley 
of  Megiddo"  (2  Chron.  xxxv.  22).  Hadadrira- 
mon  appears  to  have  been  a  city  in  this  valley, 
and  Jerome  speaks  of  such  a  city  as  still  existing 
in  his  day,  although  he  says  that  its  name  had 
been  altered  to  Maximinopolis.  Josiah  was  a  king 
of  Judah,  a  pious  king,  and  one  whose  death  was 
lamented  in  an  extraordinary  manner  (2  Chron. 
xxxv.  25).  There  is  no  need  to  seek  for  other  ap- 
plications of  the  text,  such  as  the  absurd  reference 
of  the  Targum  to  the  death  of  Ahab,  who  could 
not  have  been  mourned  at  all,  much  less,  gener- 
ally or  bitterly ;  or  the  impious  suggestion  of  the 
heathen  weeping  for  Thammuz  or  Adonis  (Movers, 
Hitzig) ;  or  the  frivolous  notion  of  Pressel,  that  the 
allusion  is  to  Sisera's  mother  ( Judg.  v.  28),  as  men- 
tioned in  the  Song  of  Deborah  !  Equally  frivolous 
are  Pressel's  objections  to  the  common  view,  name- 
ly, (1)  That  Josiah  did  not  die  in  Megiddo  bu« 
on  the  way  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  was  buried  and 
lamented  ;  (2)  that  he,  being  now  a  man  of  nearly 
forty  years  of  age,  could  not  properly  be  spoken 
of  as  a  first-born  or  only  son  !  Heiigstenberg,  on 
the  contrary,  states  well  the  reasons  why  just  he 
should  be  introduced  here  as  a  type  of  the  Mes- 
siah. "  He  was  slain  on  account  of  the  sins  of  the 
people;  his  reign  was  the  closing  manifestation 
of  mercy  on  the  part  of  the  Lord ;  unspeakable 


96 


ZECHARIAH. 


misery  followed  immediately  afterwards  ;  the  lam- 
entation for  his  death  rested  ii])on  the  mingled 
feelings  of  love,  and  of  sorrow  for  their  own  sins 
as  the  cause  of  his  death." 

A  still  more  elalmrate  description  of  the  mourn- 
ing is  given  in  the  next  three  verses. 

Vers.  12-14.  And  the  land  shall  mourn,  ft". 
N^t  only  the  capital,  but  the  whole  land  shall 
mourn,  and  this  not  only  in  ^ross  but  in  detail, 
every  family  and  every  subdivision  of  a  femily 
apart.  The  mention  of  the  wives  apart  is  not  to 
be  explained  from  the  habit  of  the  women  in  all 
lands  ■'  to  go  into  mourning"  (Pres.sel),  but  sim- 
ply as  a  further  specification  of  the  intensity  and 
universality  of  the  mourning.  The  mention  of 
David  and  Levi  is  easily  understood,  as  these 
were  heads  respectively  of  the  royal  and  priestly 
lines.  The  other  two  names  are  not  so  clear. 
The  old  Jewish  view  supposed  Nathan  to  refer  to 
the  propiietic  order,  and  Shimeite  to  the  teachers, 
who  were  said  to  have  sprung  from  the  tribe  of 
Simeon;  but  Shimeite  is  not  the  patronymic  of 
Simeon,  but  Shimeonite ;  nor  is  there  any  evidence 
that  that  tribe  furnished  teachers  for  the  nation, 
and  Nathan  the  prophet  was  not  the  head  of  any 
order.  It  is  better  to  adopt  the  view  (Hengsten- 
berg,  Henderson,  Keil,  Kohlerj  first  stated  by 
Luther  :  "  Four  fomilies  are  enumerated,  two 
from  the  royal  line  under  the  names  of  David  and 
Nathan  (son  of  David),  and  two  from  the  priestly 
line,  Levi  and  his  grandson  Shimei ;  after  which 
he  embraces  all  together."  Thus  he  mentions  one 
leading  family  and  one  subordinate  branch,  to 
§how  that  the  grief  pervades  all,  from  the  highest 
to  the  lowest.  All  the  remaining  families.  Not 
those  that  are  left  after  the  judgment  (Neumann), 
nor  the  less  renowned  (Kohler),  nor  as  implying 
that  some  families  shall  have  become  extinct  (Hen- 
derson) ;  but  simply  the  remainder  after  those 
which  have  just  been  specified  by  way  of  example. 
This  penitential  grief  will  not  be  in  vain. 

Ch.  xiii.  1 .  There  shall  be  a  fountain  opened, 
ff.  This  verse  resumes  and  completes  the  process 
begun  in  verse  10  of  the  preceding  chapter.  It 
treats  of  the  same  parties,  —  the  house  of  David 
and  the  inhabitant  of  Jerusalem,  standing  here 
as  there  for  the  whole  nation.  He  who  poured  out 
the  spirit  of  supjjlication  will  also  provide  the 
means  of  purification  from  sin.  A  fountain  is 
shut  up  as  long  as  it  remains  under  ground,  or  is 
sealed  from  access  (Cant.  iv.  12)  ;  it  is  opened 
when  it  breaks  forth  and  flows  freely.  The  refer- 
ence appears  to  be  to  a  twofold  usage  in  the 
Mosaic  ritual  ;  one,  the  sprinkling  of  the  Levites 
at  their  consecration  with  "  water  of  purifying," 
lit.,  sin-water,  i.  e.,  for  purification  from  sin  (Num. 
viii.  7),  and  the  other  the  sprinkling  of  persons 
contaminated  by  contact  with  death,  with  the 
water  prepared  from  the  ashes  of  the  red  heifer, 
calhd  the  water  of  uncleanness,  i.  e.,  which  re- 
moved uncleanness.  In  both  these  cases  the  im- 
purity denoted  the  defilement  of  sin,  and  the  out- 
ward purification  was  a  symbol  of  the  inward.  So 
the  water  which  flows  from  the  fountain  in  the 
text,  is  a  water  of  sprinkling  by  which  sin  and 
uncleanness  are  removed.  It  does  not  need  to  be 
"enewed  from  time  to  time,  as  was  the  case  with 
the  Levitical  waters,  but  issues  from  a  living  well- 
spring.  The  mtaning  cannot  be  a  new  water  sup- 
ply for  the  metropolis  (Pressel),  nor  even  grace  in 
general  (Kchler),  nor  the  grace  of  baptism,  as  the 
older  critics  said  ;  but  is  the  blood  which  cleanseth 
from  all  sin  (I  John  i.  7),  the  blood  of  that  sacri- 
ice  which  was  typified  in  the  sin-offering  of  the  red 


heifer,  the  blood  which  removes  alike  the  guilt  and 
the  dominion  of  sin. 

Excursus  on  xii.  10.  The  history  of  the  inter 
pretation  is  interesting. 

I.  Among  the  Jews  the  early  opinion  was  in 
favor  of  the  Messianic  interpretation.  Thus  in 
the  Gemara  of  Jerusalem,  it  is  said,  "  there  are 
two  difierent  opinions  as  to  the  meaning  of  this 
passage.  Some  refer  it  to  the  lamentation  for  the 
Messiah  ;  others  to  the  mourning  for  sin."  Both 
concurred  in  thinking  oC  a  dying  Messiah,  but  one 
thought  directly  of  Him  and  his  suff'ering,  the 
other  of  the  sin  which  caused  his  death,  directly 

or  indirectly.  The  former  took  I'^/V  ^^  '^  ^^^' 
culine  suffix,  the  latter  as  neuter.  In  contrast  to 
this  the  Gemara  of  Babylon  maintains  the  per- 
sonal application  of  the  passage,  but  says  that  it  re* 
fers  to  Messiah  ben  Joseph  who  is  to  suffer  and  die, 
while  Messiah  ben  Judah  is  always  to  live.  And 
this  convenient  fiction  of  two  Messiahs  was  sub- 
sequently adopted  by  Aben  Ezra  and  Abarbanel, 
the  latter  of  whom  confessed  that  his  chief  object 
was  to  remove  the  stumbling-block  interposed  by 
Christians  when  they  interpreted  the  prophecy,  as 
relating  to  the  crucified  One.  Kimchi  and  Jarchi 
denied  any  Messianic  reference.  They  said  that 
there  was  a  change  of  subject,  and  either  adopted 
the  false  reading  upon  him  instead  of  upon  me,  or 
translated  the  following  word  because  instead  of 
whom,  so  that  they  interpreted,  "  the  pierced  One" 
=  every  one  who  had  been  slain  in  the  war  with 
Gog  and  Magog,  and  said,  "  they  will  all  lament 
for  the  death  of  one  as  if  the  whole  army  had  been 
slain."  But  this  view  is  its  own  refutation.  The 
translators  of  the  LXX.  had  the  same  text  as  wei 
have,  but  gave  the  sense  vex  instead  of  pierce,  be- 
cause they  could  not  see  the  relevancy  of  the  lit- 
eral meaning.  Some  consideration  of  the  same 
kind  operated  upon  the  Chaldee  paraphase,  which 
renders  "  they  shall  pray  before  me  because  they 
have  been  carried  away  (or  have  wandered  about).  ' 
The  modern  Jews,  however,  generally  adhere  to 
the  literal  sense  of  the  verb  "^p^,  and  explain  it 
in  the  method  proposed  by  Kimchi,  rejecting  either 
expressly  or  tacitly  the  notion  of  a  double  Mes- 
siah. 

XL  Among  Christians  the  reference  to  Christ 
was  adopted  without  dissent  by  the  early  exposi- 
tors and  most  of  the  Reformers.  Strange  to  say, 
the  first  exception  is  found  in  Calvin,  who  under- 
stood the  passage  as  referring  to  God,  who  is  fig- 
uratively said  to  have  been  pierced,  i.  e.,  irritated 
and  provoked  by  the  Jews.  He,  however,  held 
that  as  Christ  is  God,  manifest  in  the  flesh,  what 
happened  to  Him  was  a  visible  symbol  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  prophecy,  and  therefore  was  justly 
cited  by  John  as  its  fulfillment.  This  view  was 
warmly  repudiated  by  Calvin's  contemporaries, 
and  followed  only  by  Grotius,  and  some  Socinian 
writers.  Later  writers  applied  the  words  to  some 
distinguished  Jewish  leader  or  martyr.  Jalin  sug- 
gested Judas  MaccabiEus,  and  rendered,  "  they 
will  look  upon  Him  (Jehovah)  on  account  of  Him 
whom  they  have  pierced."  Baur  thought  it  was 
impossible  to  determine  which  of  the  leaders  it 
was,  but  it  was  one  of  those  who  had  lost  their 
lives  in  the  service  of  the  true  God.  Bleek  adopted 
the  same  view,  and  to  get  rid  of  the  reference  tc 

Jehovah,  substituted  for  ''vM,  v.S  the  pjetic  form 
:f  vW,  and  rendered    "  thev  look  to  Him  whonc 


CHAPTERS  XII.  10-XIII.  1. 


97 


they  pierced."     This  is  simply  desperate,  for  ''...^ 
occurs  only  four  times  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  I 
these  are  all  in  tlie  Book  of  Job,  and  immediately  ! 
before  a  noun,  and  as  it  is   here  in   tiie  construct! 
state,  it  cannot  possibly  be  joined  to  the  accusative  I 

nS.  Besides,  this  view  fails  to  account  for  the  i 
universal  mourniutr  or  the  opened  fountain.  —  | 
Ewald,  for  one  martyr  substitutes  a  plurality  of  | 
such  as  had  fallen  in  the  war  with  the  heathen. 
He  renders  "  they  look  to  Him  whom  men  have 
pierced,"  thus  ehan;;in,i,^  the  text  and  assuming  an- 
other subject  for  the  verb,  and  exjilains  thus,  "  the 
intention  is  to  show  that  no  martyr  falls  in  vain, 
but  will  one  day  be  mourned  with  universal  love." 
But  this  is  opposed  to  the  ruliiiious  tone  of  the 
first  clause,  urace  and  supplication,  and  to  the  lact 
that  in  both  the  preceding  chapter  and  the  follow- 
ing, only  one  person  is  spoken  of  as  an  object  of 
persecution.  Hofmann,  after  giving  up  his  first 
view  of  a  plural  object,  adopted  another  according 
to  which  he  rendered,  "  My  heroes  look  at  Him 
whom  men  have  pierced."  But  bs  never  means 
hero  (see  Fiirst,  sub  voce),  and  besides,  ^''2^  is 
usually  construed  with  the  preposition  7i|5.  Nor 
does  tlie  sense  he  thus  obtains  at  all  suit  the  con- 
nection. An  altogether  different  view  has  been 
adopted  by  Vogel  and  Hitzig,  whom  Pressel  for 
substance  follows,  namely,  that  the  Prophet  speaks 
of  himself  whom  he  identities  with  Jehovah.  "  The 
murder  of  a  Prophet  is  regarded  as  an  attack  upon 
Jehovah  himself."  The  statement  of  this  view  is 
enough  to  show  its  untenableness.  For  although 
the  sender  and  the  sent  are  often  identified,  yet  no 
instance  can  be  found  in  Scripture,  among  all  its 
records  of  martyrdom,  of  a  case  in  which  the 
death  of  a  prophet  is  represented  or  mourned  for 
as  if  it  were  the  death  of  Jehovah.  Noyes,  in  his 
Translation  of  the  Hebrew  Prophets  (ii.  387),  first 
mentions  Calvin's  explanation, ^  and  then  adds, 
"  Or  the  meaning  may  be  that  the  people  pierced 
Jehovah,  when  thej'  recently  jtut  to  death  some 
one  of  his  messengers  or  prophets  who  is  not 
named."  But  the  violent  death  of  a  prophet  was 
not  such  a  rare  thing  in  Jewish  history  ;  and  why 
should  it  in  any  case  lead  to  such  a  great  and  uni- 
versal mourning  as  is  here  described?  Or,  if  there 
had  been  some  murder  of  a  prophet  so  exceptional 
in  its  atrocity  as  to  convulse  the  whole  nation  in 
an  agony  of  grief,  would  there  not  be  some  trace 
of  the  fact  in  the  books  of  Kings  or  Chronicles  ? 
Yet  none  such  is  found. 


THEOLOGICAL   AND  MORAL. 

1.  When  our  Lord  was  about  to  ascend  to  heaven 
He  commanded  the  Apostles  (Acts  i.  4)  not  to  al- 
low themselves  to  be  drawn  or  driven  from  Jeru- 
salem, but  to  "  wait  for  the  ])romise  of  the  Father." 
There  can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  the  passage  be- 
fore us  contains  one  form  or  instance  of  the  prom- 
ise to  which  the  Saviour  referred.  The  first  great 
gift  of  heaven,  for  which  men  were  taught  to  look 
in  the  latter  days,  was  a  divine  person  incarnate  to 
make  reconciliation  for  iniquity  and  bring  in  ever- 
lasting righteousness  ;  the  next  one  was  that  of 
another  divine  person  whose  influences  should  ap- 
ply the  redemption  effected,  and  thus  complete  the 

1  So  far  as  I  have  observed,  every  writer  of  whatever 
•ehool  is  gldd  to  get  the  sanction  of  this  great  name  for 
Ua  opiDion. 


work  of  the  Father's  sovereign  love.  The  latter  — 
the  Holy  Spirit  —  had  of  course  been  present  an*, 
active  in  the  previous  stages  of  the  Cnurch's  his- 
tory ;  otherwise  there  could  have  been  no  Church, 
for' the  Spirit  is  the  indispensable  bond  of  union 
between  God  and  bis  people.  But  during  the  old 
cconomv,  owing  to  its  very  nature  as  an  ir.troduc 
tory,  preparatory,  and  restricted  dispensation,  tht 
gifts  of  the  Spirit  were  far  less  rich  and  >>:,7»eiful 
and  genernl  and  constant,  than  they  were  ulti- 
mately designed  and  required  to  be  in  ord^r  t*. 
effect  the  purjjoscs  of  grace.  Hence  the  promise 
of  an  eftusion  which  should  not  be  intermittent 
or  partial,  either  in  its  nature  or  its  subjects,  but 
every  way  adequate  to  the  necessities  of  the  case. 
This  promise  was  given  by  the  older  Prophets, 
Joel  (ii.  28,  29),  Isaiah  (lix.  21),  Jeremiah  (xxxi. 
33,  34),  Ezekiel  (xxxvi.  27),  and  is  now  resumed 
after  the   exile  by  Zechariah,   who  uses  the  very 

term  ("1?^^  =  pour  out)  employed  by  Joel  three 
centuries  before.  (Isaiah  uses  a  different  word, 
p^>,  but  of  the  same  signification.)  The  effusion 
is  not  to  be  fitful  or  scanty,  but  generous  and 
abundant,  a  pouring  rain  from  the  skies,  overcom- 
ing all  obstacles,  reaching  all  classes  and  effecting 
the  most  blessed  and  durable  results.  Its  precise 
influence  as  conceived  by  Zechariah,  is  in  the  way 
of  overcoming  depraved  natural  characteristics  by 
imparting  grace  and  developing  this  grace  in  the 
exercise  of  supplication.  All  true  and  successful 
prayer  is  "in  the  Spirit"  (Eph.  vi.  18,  Jude20). 
Paul  had  often  gone  through  the  forms  of  suppli- 
cation in  his  unconverted  career,  but  it  was  only 
when  spiritually  enlightened  that  it  could  be  truly 
said  of  him,  as  it  was,  "  Behold,  he  prayeth " 
(Acts  ix.  11).  In  the  view  of  a  thoughtful  mind, 
prayer  itself  is  hardly  so  great  a  blessing  as  the 
promise  of  a  divine  Spirit  to  help  our  infirmity 
and  make  intercession  within  us.  (Rom.  viii.  26.) 
2.  This  passage  is  singularly  happy  in  pointing 
out  what  all  experience  has  shown  to  be  the  chief 
means  of  kindling  evangelical  repentance,  —  the 
apprehension  of  a  crucified  Saviour.  Men  are  in- 
deed convinced  of  sin  in  various  ways.  Natural 
conscience  sometimes  inflames  remorse  to  a  fearful 
pitch.  Sudden  judgments,  or  what  are  thought  to 
be  such,  stimulate  fear  until  reason  is  eclipsed.  A 
keen  sense  of  shame  proves  to  be  a  sorrow  of  the 
world  which  worketh  death.  But  the  true,  healthy 
conviction  of  sin,  the  repentance  which  needeth 
not  to  be  repented  of,  is  born  at  the  cross.  There 
the  sinful  soul  sees  its  sin  as  it  sees  it  nowhere  else 
in  the  world,  sees  all  the  vileness,  malignity,  and 
inexcusableness  of  its  past  life,  and  is  thoroughly 
humbled  and  prostrated  in  contrition.  It  becomes 
conscious  of  its  own  share  in  the  dark  and  bloody 
crime  of  Calvary.  As  one  of  those  for  whom 
Christ  died,  it  had  part  in  driving  the  nails  and 
pushing  the  spear,  and  is  justly  liable  to  the  ag- 
gravated doom  of  those  who  with  wicked  hands 
crucified  the  Lord  of  glory.  Hence  all  pleas  in 
extenuation  are  given  up,  all  excuses  are  felt  to  bo 
frivolous.  Nothing  is  left  but  a  fearful  looking  for 
of  judgment,  so  far  as  the  soul's  own  merits  and 
claims  are  considered.  But  this  very  conviction 
of  total  unworthiness  is  accompanied  with  a  con- 
viction of  Christ's  wondrous  love  in  bearing  the 
cross,  and  an  inspiration  of  hope,  in  the  eflBcacy 
of  his  atoning  death.  Thus  the  arrow  that  kills 
bears  with  it  the  balm  that  makes  alive.  The  true 
penitent  says,  "  I  am  lost,  for  my  sins  have  slain 
my  Lord  ;  nay,  I  am  saved,  for  my  Lord  diei  that 
those  very  sins  should  be  blotted  out."     So  the  r& 


98 


ZECHARIAIl. 


[)entance  is  real,  deej),  ami  hearty,  but  it  is  not  sul- 
en,  angry,  oi  despairino;.  It  <;rows  keener  and 
more  comprehensive  by  experienee,  but  faith  and 
hope  are  growin<j  in  like  measure,  and  thus  the 
equipoise  in  which  the  spiritual  life  began  is  main- 
tained even  to  the  end.  ICven  at  the  height  of 
his  nsefulnes.s  Paul  felt  that  he  was  not  worthy  to 
be  called  an  Apostle,  and  at  the  close  of  life  called 
himself  chief  of  sinners  ;  yet  he  knew  whom  he 
Jiad  believed,  and  expected  a  crown  of  righteous- 
r.ess  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  would 
give  him  "in  that  day." 

3.  There  are  two  striking  peculiarities  of  peni- 
tential sorrow,  —  its  depth  and  its  solitariness. 
The  Prophet  uses  the  strongest  metaphors  known 
to  human  experience.  No  pang  which  death  can 
inflict  is  so  severe  as  that  which  wrings  the  heart 
of  parents  following  to  the  tomb  the  remains  of  a 
first-born  or  an  onlj'  son.  It  seems  as  if  all  hope 
and  joy  were  interred  in  the  same  grave.  So 
again  a  great  national  calamity  is  intensified  by 
the  reciprocal  influence  upon  one  another  of  all 
who  are  affected  by  it.  When  President  Lincoln 
was  assassinated  in  1865,  a  shuddering  horror 
seized  every  heart  throughout  the  land,  and  multi- 
tudes who  had  never  seen  the  kindly  leader  were 
as  deeply  moved  as  if  the  blow  had  fallen  on  their 
own  kindred.  A  gloomy  pall  settled  down  over 
all  hearts  and  all  households.  But  penitential 
grief  which  is  awakened  by  the  sight  of  a  pierced 
Saviour  is  as  real  and  pervading  as  that  which 
proceeds  from  anj'  outward  affliction,  personal,  do- 
mestic, or  national.  Its  theatre  is  within.  There 
are  no  outward  manifestations,  but  the  feeling  for 
that  reason  is  the  more  concentrated  and  intense. 
The  soul  renews  the  experience  of  the  royal  pen- 
itent, —  my  sin  is  ever  before  me.  But  the  stricken 
soul  mourns  apart.  As  there  is  a  joy,  so  there  is 
a  sorrow,  with  which  a  stranger  intermeddleth  not. 
The  relations  of  the  soul  to  God  are  so  delicate 
that  all  shrink  instinctively  from  exposing  them 
to  the  view  of  others.  Deep  grief  is  necessarily 
solitary.  In  its  acme,  neither  sympathy  nor  fel- 
lowship is  sought  or  allowed.  Much  more  must 
this  be  the  case  when  the  grief  is  spiritual,  for  the 
hand  of  God  whicli  causes  the  pain  alone  can  cure 
it,  and  the  soul  nauseates  all  other  comforters. 
David  Brainerd  mentions  that  on  one  occasion 
when  he  was  preaching  to  his  Indians,  the  power 
of  God  came  down  among  them  like  a  mighty 
rushing  wind  •  "  Their  concern  was  so  great,  each 
for  himself,  that  none  seemed  to  take  any  notice 
of  tho>e  about  him.  They  were,  to  their  own  ap- 
prehension, as  much  retired  as  if  they  had  been 
alone  in  the  thickest  desert.  Every  one  was  pray- 
ing apart,  and  yet  all  together."  Cowper  is  not 
the  only  j)enitent  who  could  say  in  truth,  — 

i>  I  was  a  stricken  deer  that  left  the  herd." 

The  immediate  prompting  of  all  who  become  con- 
Tinced  of  sin  is  to  fly  to  some  solitary  place  and 
be  alone  with  God,  unless  indeed,  as  in  the  case 
of  Brainerd's  Indians,  the  absorption  of  mind  is  so 
complete  that  they  are  insensible  to  the  presence 
of  others.  "  The  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitter- 
ness," and  a  godly  sorrow  shuns  companions  until 
it  has  wrought  "  a  rejjentance  unto  salvation  not 
to  be  repented  of"  (2  Cor.  vii.  10). 

4.  Repentance  of  itself,  however  deep  and 
thorough,  is  of  no  avail  toward  justification.  It 
does  not  repair  the  evils  of  wrong-doing  even  in 
common  life,  any  more  than  in  the  sphere  of  re- 
ligion. The  spendthrift  may  bitterly  mourn  the 
extravagance  which  ate  up  his  estatr;,  or  the  deb- 


auchee the  excesses  which  ruined  his  constitution, 
but  in  neither  case  does  the  penitence  bring  back 
what  has  been  lost.  It  is  the  same  with  the  sin- 
ner. Tears  and  penances  are  no  compensation  for 
sin.  Sin  is  a  debt  (Matt.  vi.  12),  and  a  debt  is 
satisfied  only  by  payment.  The  payment  may  be 
made  by  one  person  or  by  another,  but  it  must  be 
made,  or  sin  remains  witli  its  legal  and  endles» 
consequences.  Hence  the  fullness  of  this  passag« 
of  the  Prophet,  which  to  a  most  elaborate  paint- 
ing of  the  distress  for  sin  caused  by  a  believing  ap- 
prehension of  the  cross,  appends  the  true  and  only 
source  of  relief  for  that  distress,  —  the  fountain 
set  flowing  on  Calvary.  There  must  be  aid  from 
without.  A  continuous  baptism  of  tears  is  of  it- 
self impotent.  Nothing  avails  but  a  provision  by 
the  Being  whom  sin  has  offended,  and  just  this  is 
furnished  in  that  blood  of  s])rinkling  which  was 
symbolized  in  so  many  ways  in  the  Old  Covenant. 
Apart  from  this,  nothing  is  left  for  a  conscious  sin- 
ner but  despair. 

5.  A  striking  expression  of  this  is  given  in  two 
passages  in  the  New  Testament,  evidently  founded 
upon  the  words  of  Zechariah.  In  Matt.  xxiv.  30, 
our  Lord  says,  "  Then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the 
earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  power  and 
great  glory."  In  Rev.  i.  7  the  beloved  disciple  re- 
sumes these  words  with  an  additional  particular, 
"  Behold,  He  comcth  with  clouds,  and  every  eye 
shall  see  Him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  Him ; 
and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of 
Him."  All  men  are  to  see  Christ,  not  merely  in 
his  glory  but  as  bearing  the  scars  by  which  that 
glory  was  won.  Some  see  Him  so  as  to  be  sub- 
dued into  a  salutary  contrition;  they  are  drawn 
to  Him  by  irresistible  attraction,  and  while  they 
mourn  over  sin  rejoice  in  the  ample  and  graciom 
pardon  He  bestows.  Others,  alas,  are  to  see  Him, 
not  voluntarily  but  by  a  necessity  which  they 
would  fain  escape!  They  see  Him  a  lamb  as  it 
had  been  slain,  but  no  more  within  their  reach 
and  for  their  advantage.  He  is  to  them  a  lost 
Saviour,  one  whose  pierced  side  and  mangled  limbs 
express  only  the  fearful  wages  and  terrible  iniquity 
of  sin,  but  offer  no  hope  of  forgiveness  and  accept- 
ance. 


HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  All  true  repentance  arises  from  a  sight 
of  a  dying  Saviour,  one  who  has  died  for  us.  True 
repentance  is  only  love  weeping  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross,  the  soul  sorrowing  for  sins  that  have  been  so 
freely  forgiven.  True  religion  is  a  personal  thing, 
and  when  it  takes  strong  hold  of  the  heart,  will 
lead  the  soul  apart  to  solitary  wrestling  with  God 
and  acts  of  personal  humbling  before  Him. 

Bradley  :  Holy  mourning  for  sin  is  a  bitter 
thing  ;  there  comes  along  with  it  many  a  tear  and 
pang ;  but  yet  there  is  mingled  with  it  a  comfort 
and  a  blessedness  which  must  be  felt  to  be  known. 
The  very  look  which  makes  the  heart  bleed,  is  a 
look  at  One  who  can  do  more  than  heal  it.  .  .  . 
Pray  for  this  sorrow.  When  would  you  mourn 
and  weep  for  your  sins,  if  nut  now  '?  Somewhere 
you  must  weep  for  them  ;  would  you  keep  back 
this  weeping  till  you  come  to  that  world  where 
tears  are  never  dried  up  ;  where  you  must  weep,  H 
you  weep  at  all,  forever  ?  And  somewhere  you 
must  look  upon  this  pierced  Jesus  '?  Will  you  look 
on  Him  for  the  first  time  when  He  opens  the  heav- 
ens and  calls  vou  ov*,  of  vour  graves  to  his  judg- 


CHAPTER   XIII.  2-6. 


9» 


ment-seat  'i  It  is  a  blessed  though  a  mournful 
thing  to  see  Him  now,  but  it  is  a  dreadful  thing 
to  see  Him  for  the  first  time  in  the  very  moment 
when  his  work  of  mercy  is  forever  ended,  when  the 
fountain  He  has  opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness  is 
forever  closed. 

McCheyne  :  1.  The  Great  Spring.  I  will  pour. 
2.  The  Great  Agent.  The  spirit  of  grace  and  sup- 
plication. 3.  The  Effect.  They  look;  they  mourn; 
they  see  the  fountain  opened. 


Jat  :  There  were  provisions  for  ceremonial  pol 
lution  under  the  Mosaic  Economy,  the  brazen  sea 
for  the  priests  and  the  ten  lavers  for  the  things 
offered  in  sacrifice.  There  were  also  fountains  for 
bodily  diseases :  the  pool  of  Siloam  to  which  3ur 
Saviour  sent  the  man  born  blind  ;  and  the  popl  of 
Bethesda,  where  lay  a  number  of  sufferers  waiting 
for  the  troubling  of  the  waters.  Christ  differed 
from  all  these,  as  a  fountain  for  moral  and  spirit- 
ual defilement,  "  for  sin  and  uncleanness." 


4.  FRUITS  OF  PENITENCE. 
Chapter  XIII.  2-6. 


A.  The  ExHnclion  of  Idols  and  False  Prophets  (ver.  2).  B.  The  Latter  to  he  slain  by  their  own  Par* 
ents  (ver.  3).  C.  Other  such  Prophets  shall  be  ashamed  of  their  Calling  (ver.  4).  D.  And  *vm 
deny  it  when  charged  upon  them  (vers.  5,  6.) 

2  And  it  shall  be  in  that  day,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
I  will  cut  off  the  names  of  the  idols  from  the  land,^ 
And  they  shall  be  remembered  no  more  ; 

And  also  the  prophets  and  the  spirit  of  uncleanness, 
Will  I  cause  to  pass  out  of  the  land. 

3  And  it  shall  be,  if  a  man  still  prophesy, 

His  father  and  his  mother,  who  begat  him,  shall  say  to  him, 

Thou  shalt  not  live. 

For  thou  hast  spoken  a  lie  in  the  name  of  Jehovah ; 

And  his  father  and  his  mother,  who  begat  him, 

Shall  pierce  ^  him  through  in  his  prophesying. 

4  And  it  shall  be  m  that  day  the  prophets  shall  be  ashamed* 
Each  of  his  vision  in  his  prophesying  ; 

And  shall  no  more  put  on  a  hairy  mantle  to  lie  ; 

5  And  [one]  shall  say,^  I  am  not  a  prophet,  I  am  a  husbandman. 
For  a  man  has  sold  *  me  from  my  youth. 

6  And  [the  other]  shall  say  ^  to  him. 

What  then  are  these  wounds  between  thy  hands  ? 
And  he  shall  say.  Those  with  which  I  was  wounded 
In  the  house  of  my  lovers.' 


TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  2.  —  V"1Sn.  Henderson  In  both  cases  renders  earth,  but  needlessly.  The  statement  is  a  general  one,  InM 
with  a  local  ooloring. 

a  Ver.  8.  —  "Ipl  is  rendered  pierce,  in  order  to  show  that  it  is  the  same  word  which  is  used  in  the  fimous  passag* 
xU.lO. 

8  Ver.  4.  —  Heng.  renders  ]S3   tTiS,  to  desist  with  shame,  but  the  established  meaning  of  the  phrase  is  simply,  to 

»«  ashamed  of.     The  fem.  suffix  in  inSZian  is  a  peculiarity  of  this  class  of  verbs  (Green,  Heb.  Or.,  166,  2). 

4  Ver.  5.  —  The  singular  verb  here,  following  the  previovis  plurals,  indicates  that  one  case  is  selected  as  an  example. 
Noyes  renders,  "  each  shall  say,"  but  the  prophet  can  scarcely  mean  that  every  one  of  the  false  prophets  is  to  make  th* 
■ame  form  of  denial. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  ^-Dpn  has  been  strangely  misconceived.  LXX.  make  it  iyewiftytv  ;  Vulg.,  Adam  meum  exemplum; 
P«ech.   renders  as  if  it  came  from  S2p.      The  E.  V.  followed  Kimchl  in  deriving  the  verbal  form  from  npj5D  v 

■mail  cattle. 

6  Ver.  6.  —  The  implied  subject  of  "  shall  say  "'  is,  of  course,  the  other  interlocutor  in  the  dialogue. 

7  Ver.  6.  —  "'^nSQ  should   be  rendered  lovers,  just  a«  it  is  in  all  the  t)ther  placee  where  it  ocouM  :  Uun.  i  H 
I U.  7,  9, 12,  etc.  ;  friends  is  too  weak. 


100 


ZECHARIAH. 


BXEGETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

This  portion  announces  the  complete  extirpa- 
tion of  idolatry  and  false  prophecy,  which  are  here 
taken  to  represent  all  forms  of  ungodliness  and 
iiLmorality,  which  they  could  very  properly  do, 
jince  they  had  l)een  the  chief  and  most  dangerous 
sins  of  the  covenant  people  in  all  their  previous 
history.  We  have  then  a  vivid  presentation  of  the 
fruits  (jf  the  penitence  mentioned  in  the  jjrevious 
chapter,  and  of  the  conversion  and  renovation  an- 
Qounced  in  the  opening  verse  of  this  chapter.  The 
pa.ssage  is  not  to  be  restricted  to  any  particular  pe- 
riod, but  describes  under  local  and  temporary  forms 
the  removal  of  whatever  is  offensive  to  a  God  of 
holiness  and  truth.  It  will  therefore  apply  to  every 
instance  in  which  the  Gospel  in  its  leading  elements, 
repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  is  truly  received. 

Ver.  2.  I  will  cut  off  the  names  of  the  idols. 
The  expressions,  "  to  cut  off  the  names,"  and  "  that 
they  be  remembered  no  more,"  denote  the  total 
extinction  of  idolatry  (cf.  Hos.  ii.  17).  Of  the 
latter  Calvin  says,  "  his  meaning  is  that  the  hatred 
of  superstition  will  be  so  great  that  the  people  will 
shudder  at  the  very  name."  Inasmuch  as  the  Jews 
notoriously  after  the  Captivity  shrank  from  any 
approach  to  idol-worship,  it  has  been  claimed  that 
this  passage  shows  that  the  portion  of  the  book  to 
which  it  belongs  was  composed  prior  to  the  Exile. 
But  the  conclusion  is  not  legitimate.  Zechariah 
simply  uses  the  forms  of  the  past  in  which  to  de- 
pict tne  future.  Idolatry  was  the  common  expres- 
sion of  ungodliness  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  na- 
tion ;  how  could  even  a  post-exilium  prophet  better 
set  forth  the  overthrow  of  false  religion  in  the  fu- 
ture than  by  predicting  the  oblivion  of  idols  and 
their  names  1  Kohler  indeed  deems  it  possible,  on 
the  basis  of  Rev.  ix.  20,  xiii.  4,  15,  that  gross  act- 
ual idol-worship  may  again  return,  but  this  would 
be  to  interpret  an  obscure  book  by  one  yet  obscurer. 
Possibly  the  reference  may  be  to  that  refined  idol- 
atry which  consists  in  regarding  and  serving  the 
creature  more  than  the  Creator,  and  which  the  New 
Testament  has  in  view  when  it  declares  covetous- 
ness  to  be  idolatry  (Col.  iii.  5).  The  prophets 
must  of  course  be  false  prophets  who  spoke  with- 
out authority,  as  appears  from  their  association  not 
only  with  idols  but  also  with  the  spirit  of  unclean- 
ness.  This  latter  phrase  denotes  not  merely  a 
pervading  principle,  but  an  active,  conscious  agen- 
cy, standing  in  direct  contrast  with  the  Spirit  of 
grace  (xii.  10),  which  works  in  its  human  instru- 
ments and  leads  them  to  their  lying  utterances. 
The  false  prophets  as  well  as  the  true  were  subject 
to  an  influence  from  without  (cf.  1  Kings  xxii.  21 
-23,  Rev.  xvi.  14  with  2  Thess.  ii.  9, 10  and  1  Tim. 
iv.  2).  The  completeness  of  the  removal  of  this 
form  of  ungodliness  is  expressed  very  energetically 
in  the  following  verses. 

Ver.  3.  If  a  man  stUl  prophesy.  .  .  .  pierce 
him  through.  Some  infer  from  the  opening  words 
that  the  mere  fact  of  prophesying  will  be  proof  that 
the  man  attempting  it  is  a  deceiver,  since  there  will 
be  no  more  prophets  (Keil,  Kohler),  and  they  refer 
to  Jer.  xxxi.  33,  34,  Is.  liv.  13  ;  but  this  is  an  ex- 
travagant and  needless  assumption,  for  the  connec- 
tion shows  plainly  enough  that  Zechariah  has  in 
view  simply  false  pretenders  to  divine  inspiration, 
and  the  passages  quoted  by  no  mei^ns  imply  the 
final  cessation  of  the  spirit  of  prophecy  either  in 
Its  broad  or  its  narrow  sense,  as  the  New  Testa- 
nent  plainly  shows.     The  statement  in   the  text 


rests  on  Deut.  xviii.  20,  compared  with  xiii.  6-10 
The  offender  shall  die,  and  the  first  to  inflict  the 
sentence  shall  be  his  father  and  his  mother,  here 
made  more  emphatic  by  the  addition,  who  begat 
him.  Cf.  2  Sara.  xvi.  11.  Several  expositors  mod- 
ify the  meaning  of  "'H'^  so  as  to  make  it  =  to  bind 
ov  scourge  (LXX.,  Peshito,  Calmet),  but  there  is  no 
ground  whatever  tor  this  in  the  oiigiu  or  usa^e  of 
the  word,  nor  does  it  suit  the  context. 

Ver.  4.  Prophets  shall  be  ashamed  ...  to 
lie.  The  revolution  will  be  so  ureat  that  these  pre- 
tenders shall  become  ashamed  of  their  claims,  and 
strip  off  the  outward  token  of  their  occupation. 
The  hairy  mantle  worn  by  the  prophets  (2  Kings 
i.  8)  was  not  a  form  of  ascetic  discipline,  but  a 
sermo  prophiticiis  realis,  a  symbol  of  the  prophet's 
grief  for  the  sins  which  he  was  commissioned  to 
reprove.  It  was  an  acted  parable  of  repentance. 
The  same  remark  is  true  of  John  the  Baptist's 
"raiment  of  camel's  hair  and  leathern  girdle" 
(Matt.  iii.  4).  To  lie,  i.  e.,  to  give  themselves  the 
appearance  of  prophets,  and  thus  impose  upon  the 
people.  Thus  far  Zechariah  has  spoken  of  these 
who  spoke  falsely  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
Hengstenberg  supposes  that  he  now  turns  to  an- 
other class  of  pretenders  who  spoke  in  the  name 
of  strange  gods,  —  a  view  which  seems  required 
by  his  interpretation  of  the  last  word  of  ver.  6, 
But  no  break  or  transition  is  apparent  in  the  pas- 
sage, and  there  is  no  necessity  for  violently  intio- 
ducing  a  new  subject. 

Vers.  5,  6.  I  am  not  a  prophet  ....  lovers. 
A  dramatic  representation  of  the  means  by  which 
one  of  these  deceivers  endeavors  to  escape  detec- 
tion. Charged  with  his  crime,  he  denies  it,  and 
claims  to  have  been  nothing  more  than  a  common 
tiller  of  the  soil.  In  support  of  this  claim  he  as- 
serts that  this  is  no  recent  circumstance,  but  that 

he  has  been  sold  from  his  youth.  rT2)7  =  to  ac- 
quire,  h.  buy  (Is.  xxiv.  2),  in  Hiphil  would  nat- 
urally =  to  cause  to  buy,  i.  e.,  to  sell.  Fiirst  and 
others  make  Hiphil  the  same  as  Kal.  The  sense 
is  the  same  according  to  either  rendering.  There 
seems  to  be  no  reason  for  considering  the  verb  a 

denominative  from  npj^D,  servum  Jacere  (Maurer, 
Kohler).  To  this  denial  is  opposed  the  question  aa 
to  the  origin  of  the  scars  the  accused  person  bears, 
—  wounds  between  thy  hands,  i.  e.,  upon  the 
breast.  Cf.  2  Kings  ix.  24,  where  "  between  the 
arms  "  evidently  has  this  meaning.    (In  Arabic  the 

cognate  phrase,  Xp9  Jo    \^>*^i  occurs  frequently, 

in  the  sense  coraw  eo.)  The  questioner  considers 
these  gashes  upon  the  person  as  palpable  evidences 
that  the  man  has  wounded  himself  in  connection 
with  idolatrous  worship  (1  Kings  xviii.  28  ;  Tibul- 
lus,  I.  i.  43,  respecting  the  worship  of  Cybele),  and 
asks  an  explanation.  The  reply  is  that  he  received 
them  in  the  house  of  his  lovers,  which  some  ex- 
plain as ;=  impure,  sinful  lovers,  i.  e.,  idols  (Heng- 
stenberg), in  which  sense  they  say  that  the  Piel  of 

D71W  is  always  used  (which,  however,  cannot  be 
affirmed  of  Jer.  xxii.  20,  22,  Lam.  i.  19);  but  as 
the  form  necessarily  signifies  only  intense  affection 
without  regard  to  quality,  I  prefer  the  opinion  of 
those  who  explain  it  as  =  loving  friends,  and  un- 
derstand the  accused  person  as  maintaining  that 
the  scars  are  simply  the  result  of  chastisements 
which  he  had  formerly  received  when  in  the  house  ol 
his  relatives.  It  seems  more  lihely  that  such  a  man 
would  resort  to  an  eva.sion  of  this  kind  than  that 


CHAPTER  XIII.  2-6 


101 


he  would  make  the  frank  confession  involved  in 
the  former  view. 

"  This  verse  is  commonly  applied  to  the  silver- 
ings of  Christ,  but  without  any  further  ground 
than  its  mere  proximity  to  that  which  follows,  in 
which  He  and  his  sufferings  are  clearly  predicted  " 
(Henderson).  It  is  quite  impossible  on  any  crit- 
ical ground  to  vindicate  such  an  applicati<Jii,  al- 
though Henderson  is  fiir  astray  when  he  assigns  as 
a  reason  that  "  in  no  tolerable  sense  could  the  Jews 
be  called  Christ's  lovers  or  friends,"  for  it  is  writ- 
*,en  (John  i.  11 ),  "  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his 
>wn  {oHdioi)  received  Him  not,"  and  the  Apostle 
(Rom  ix.  5)  speaks  of  his  kinsmen  as  those  "of 
whom  as  concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came." 


THEOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL. 

1.  Idolatry  and  divination  are  mentioned  by 
Zechariah,  as  has  been  said,  only  as  typical  forms 
of  error  and  sin.  But  it  is  singular  how  well  they 
express  the  prevailing  evils  with  which  the  Church 
is  called  to  contend  in  modern  times.  The  gross 
idolatry  of  the  heathen  has  disappeared  from  Chris- 
tendom never  to  return ;  but  its  place  is  taken  by 
a  more  refined  and  more  dangerous  error  of  the 
same  sort.  There  is  a  devotion  rendered  to  wealth, 
to  pleasure,  to  position,  to  genius,  which  is  wholly 
inconsistent  with  the  just  claims  of  our  Maker. 
There  is  a  materialism  which,  although  glozed 
over  with  high-sounding  names,  is  as  repulsive  to 
the  true  honor  of  God  as  the  worship  of  Baal  or 
Astarte.  It  dwells  on  great  physical  achieve- 
ments, discoveries  in  nature  or  inventions  in  art, 
scientific  triumphs,  or  even  the  multiplication  of 
social  conveniences,  as  if  these  were  the  all  in  all 
of  life  and  of  man.  The  next  world  is  ignored. 
God  is  turned  into  a  mere  name.  He  is  not 
enough  thought  of  to  be  actively  opposed  ;  and 
men  say  in  Gibbon's  famous  formula,  all  religions 
are  equally  true  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  equally 
false  in  the  eyes  of  the  philosopher,  and  equally 
useful  in  the  eyes  of  the  statesman.  Now  this 
cool  indifference,  this  pervading  earthliness  of 
character  and  pursuit,  is  not  simply  the  rejection 
of  God,  but  the  enthronement  of  something  else 
in  his  place,  i.  e.,  idolatry.  And  it  needs  all  the 
energy  of  a  true  spiritual  faith  to  overcome  it.  If 
the  Church  is  ever  to  fulfill  her  function,  she  must 
insist  that  the  life  is  more  than  meat  and  the  body 
than  raiment;  that  means  are  not  ends;  that  man 
is  not  merely  an  animal  of  the  better  class,  more 
highly  organized  and  of  larger  intelligence ;  but 
that  he  is  a  spiritual  being,  allied  to  the  infinite 
Spirit  and  able  to  reach  the  true  goal  of  his  exist- 
ence only  in  willing  obedience  to  that  supreme 
Spirit.  Anything  else  than  this,  whether  it  be  the 
worship  of  wealth,  or  the  worship  of  science,  is 
treason  to  Gud.  It  puts  the  creature  in  the  place 
of  the  Creator,  and  so  prepares  the  way  for  all  un- 
godliness and  unrighteousness.  A  religious  basis 
is  essential  to  a  permanent  morality,  and  although 
the  late  Mr.  John  Stuart  Mill  held  that  there  could 
be  a  religion  without  a  personal  God,  all  experi- 
ence is  against  his  crude  notion.  Men  who  begin 
by  denying  the  rights  of  their  Maker  will  sooner 
or  later  end  by  denying  the  rights  of  their  fellow- 
men. 

2.  The  world  has  often  flattered  itself  that  "  the 
fidse  prophet  and  the  unclean  spirit"  have  complete- 
ly passed  away,  that  science  has  effectually  disposed 
of  superstition,  that  the  progress  of  educution  and 
intelligence  has  put  an  end  to  soothsayin    and  nec- 


romancy. Yet  our  own  generation  has  complete- 
ly exploded  this  flattering  dream.  The  heart  of 
our  own  enlightened  land  where  the  schoolmaster 
has  been  abroad  for  generations,  has  witnessed  the 
resurrection  and  diffusion  of  errors  which  are  usu- 
ally considered  as  belonging  only  to  the  twilight 
of  civilization.  The  miserable  first  king  of  Israel 
resorted  to  the  witch  of  Endor,  only  after  every 
other  door  of  knowledge  had  been  hoi)eles9ly 
closed  against  him  ;  but  now  under  the  blaze  of  a 
completed  revelation,  with  Christ  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  promised  to  all  who 
seek  aright,  men  revive  an  antiquated  delusion 
and  seek  for  the  living  to  the  dead.  Nay,  many 
who  reject  and  scoff  at  the  Scriptures,  receive  with 
implicit  faith  what  purport  to  be  communications 
from  the  ghosts  of  the  departed.  It  is  a  fulfill- 
ment of  the  Apostolic  declaration  (2  Tim.  iv.  4), 
"  They  who  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth 
shall  be  turned  unto  fables."  Man  stands  too  close 
to  the  unseen  world  to  deny  or  ignore  its  exist- 
ence ;  his  own  condition  here  with  its  dependence 
and  exposure  makes  him  look  wistfully  for  some- 
thing higher  and  better.  If  that  craving  is  not 
satisfied  legitimately,  it  will  be  illegitimately.  The 
alternative  to  Faith  is  not  unbelief  but  misbelief. 
Men  must  believe  something.  If  they  obey  the 
laws  of  evidence,  they  will  receive  the  only  proven 
revelation  from  the  invisible  world ;  if  not,  tlien 
all  that  remains  is  belief  without  evidence,  that 
is,  superstition.  Nor  will  this  be  altered  if  there 
be  a  common  school,  and  a  printing-press,  and  a 
scientific  association  in  every  hamlet  of  the  land. 
No  culture  of  the  intellect  can  destroy  or  smother 
man's  moral  and  spiritual  nature.  The  heart,  the 
conscience,  the  sense  of  responsibility,  will  still 
survive  and  demand  some  appropriate  nutriment. 
To  offer  to  these  the  latest  discoveries  in  physics, 
is  to  offer  stones  instead  of  bread,  or  a  scorpion  in- 
stead of  a  fish.  If  they  do  not  receive  the  living 
oracles  of  the  Spirit  of  holiness,  they  fall  into  the 
hands  of  "  the  spirit  of  uncleanness,"  whose  work- 
ing is  with  lying  wonders  and  all  deceivableness 
of  unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish,  because 
they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth  that  they 
might  be  saved  (2  Thes.  ii.  9,  10). 

3.  The  energy  of  moral  rebuke  in  a  healthy 
state  of  Zion,  is  well  shown  in  the  pictorial  repre- 
sentation of  the  Prophet.  In  the  fifth  Book  of 
Moses  provision  is  made  for  the  prompt  and  seven 
punishment  of  any  one  who  should  introduce  the 
worship  of  a  false  god  (Dent.  xiii.  6-9).  The  Jev 
ish  commonwealth,  being  an  actual  theocracy,  idol 
atry  was  simply  and  literally  high  treason,  a  blo» 
at  the  life  of  the  state,  and  as  such  a  capital  crim« 
Hence  no  degree  of  kindred  or  affection  was  al 
lowed  to  exempt  any  one  from  denouncing  such  i 
criminal.  Even  a  man's  nearest  relatives  were  t< 
be  the  first  to  put  their  hands  to  his  execution 
when  he  was  found  judicially  obnoxious  to  tha 
penalty.  Even  so,  declares  Zechariah,  in  days  to 
come  will  the  parents  who  naturally  cling  to  a 
prodigal  boy,  even  when  he  may  by  htted  f  jd  de- 
spised by  all  the  world,  yet  ovcxome  the^r  affec- 
tion, and  themselves  thrust  througji  the  child  who 
is  a  lying  prophet.  The  reprtocatation  is  strong, 
but  not  exaggerated.  Literally  understood  it  ic 
of  course  impossible.  T'^nd'cr  the  Gospel  civil  pun- 
ishments for  religion?  errors  have  and  can  have  ac 
place.  But  the  underlying  thought —  intense  an(S 
absolute  loyalty  tjiy  God  —  is  as  appropriate  nov 
as  it  ever  was  The  religious  element  in  man', 
nature  is  to  become  dominant,  nay  supreme.  Lo'<* 
to  God,  like  Aaron's  rod.  is  to  swallow  np  all  othe 


102' 


ZECHAHlAli. 


affections.  Nothinjr  is  to  coine  into  competition 
with  alle.uiancc  to  truth  and  holiness.     Our  Lord 

f)resented  the  duty  with  ail  plainness  :  "  He  that 
oveth  fiitlier  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not 
worthy  of  me ;  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daugh- 
ter more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me  "  (Matt.  x. 
37).  It  often  hajipens  that  the  claims  of  relatives 
and  the  claims  of  Christ  come  into  collision  ;  and 
when  they  do,  the  former  must  give  way.  We 
must  choose  to  displease  those  whom  we  most  love 
on  earth  rather  than  displease  Him  who  died  for 
us  on  the  cross.  This  doctrine  is  quite  repulsive 
to  the  sentimentalists  who  exalt  the  domestic  af- 
fections to  the  highest  place  in  human  esteem,  but 
it  is  none  the  less  true,  being  indeed  a  simple  co- 
rollary from  the  first  principle  of  all  religion,  that 
the  object  of  worship  is  to  be  loved  supremely,  and 
all  other  beings,  however  near  or  dear,  subordi- 
nately. 

4.  But  this  is  a  very  different  thing  from  the 
self-inflict^'  'ortutss  of  the  heathen  and  of  all  false 
reiigiocii-ji.  The  man  in  the  text  with  "wounds 
between  nis  hands,"  represents  a  class  found  in 
all  ages  and  lands.  Clear  references  to  these  are 
found  in  the  Scripture  (Deut.  xiv.  1  ;  Jer.  xvi.  6  ; 
xli.  5),  and  an  actual  instance  is  seen  in  the  priests 
of  Baal  in  their  contest  with  Elijah  (1  Kings  xviii. 
28).  The  custom  originated  in  the  uneasy  con- 
scieusness  of  guilt  and  of  the  necessity  for  expi- 
ation. Men  in  their  blindness  conceived  that  by 
the  merciless  punishment  of  their  own  bodies  they 
would  render  a  species  of  satisfection,  and  so  re- 
gain the  favor  of  the  offended  deities.  The  folly 
of  this  form  of  worship  is  well  exposed  by  Seneca 
(quoted  by  Augustine,  Civ.  Dei,  vi.  10),  and  yet  it 
is  not  so  absurd  as  it  would  seem.  For  if  a  man 
believes  that  the  gods  will  exact  some  suffering  for 
sins,  and  that  by  inflicting  it  upon  himself  he  may 
forestall  their  action  and  get  off  on  cheaper  terms, 
it  is  not  easy  to  refute  him  on  rationalistic  grounds. 
The  difliculty  in  his  case  is  that  conscience  is 
aroused,  and  yet  there  is  no  knowledge  of  the  doc- 
trine of  substitution  or  atonement.  Hence  even 
So.  Christian  lands,  whenever  that  doctrine  is  not 
understood  in  its  simplicity  and  fullness,  the  same 
thing  occurs  in  a  less  aggravated  form.  Fastings 
and  mortifications  and  penances  of  various  kinds 
are  cheerfully  endured  as  compensations  for  guilt. 
It  is  hard  for  poor  human  nature  to  leain  that 
"the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin." 
Tet  nothing  is  clearer  in  the  Scripture  than  that 


the  will-worship  which  consists  in  pains  and  priva 
tions,  inflicted  and  endured  for  their  own  sake, 
is  most  ofll'nsive  to  the  Most  High.  He  Himself 
never  sends  afflictions  unless  there  is  a  needs  be, 
and  He  does  not  ask  us  to  be  other  than  Himself. 
Self-denial  is  indeed  a  large  part  cf  thu  Christian 
life,  but  it  is  self-denial  for  an  object  beyond  itself 
—  not  as  satisfaction  for  sin  or  a  price  paid  for 
heaven,  but  out  of  love  for  Christ,  as  a  means  of 
cultivating  holiness  or  of  winning  souls  for  the 
kingdom.  Privation  borne  with  such  views  is  in- 
deed an  honor  and  a  blessing ;  but  if  inflicted  for 
its  own  sake,  it  puts  even  such  a  transcendent  gen- 
ius as  Pascal  with  his  hair  shirt  and  iron-pointed 
girdle,  on  the  same  level  with  the  self-gashed  devo- 
tees of  Baal,  or  the  forsworn  diviner  whom  Zech- 
ariah  describes. 

HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  Ver.  3.  Love  to  God  must  be  para- 
mount to  all  other  affections,  even  the  most  ten- 
der. It  is  in  our  present  imperfect  sanctification 
inconceivable  how  we  could  acquiesce  in  the  per- 
dition of  our  children  without  a  pang  that  would 
poison  all  the  bliss  of  heaven,  and  yet  it  shall  be 
so.  Much  as  we  love  them,  we  shall  love  God  and 
his  law  immeasurably  more.  —  Vers.  4-6  :  Sinners 
shall  at  last  be  made  to  confess  their  sins  and  the 
justice  of  their  punishment ;  and  the  bitterest  drop 
in  the  cup  of  their  agony  will  be  that  they  have 
wrung  it  out  for  themselves,  and  that  it  is  all  just. 

Calvin  :  Falsehood  hast  thou  spoken  in  the  name 
of  Jehovah.  If  we  rightly  consider  what  this  is, 
it  will  certainly  appear  to  us  more  detestable  than 
to  kill  an  innocent  man,  or  to  destroy  a  guest  with 
poison,  or  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  one's  owii 
father.  The  greatest  of  all  crimes  does  not  come 
up  to  this  horrible  and  monstrous  wickedness. 

J.\T  :  Wounded  in  the  house  of  my  friends.  There 
are  four  kinds  of  such  wounds.  (1.)  Those  aris- 
ing from  their  just  reprehensions.  (2.)  Those  that 
result  from  their  sufferings.  (3.)  Those  produced 
by  our  being  bereaved  of  them.  (4.)  Those  in- 
flicted by  their  improper  conduct.  Again.  If  the 
Lord  Jesus  be  the  sufferer,  He  is  wounded  in  the 
house  of  his  friends,  by  their  negligent  conduct  — 
by  their  selfishness — by  their  distrust  —  by  their 
timidity  —  by  their  gloomy  conduct  —  by  their  un- 
holines's.  His  question  is,  Is  this  thy  kindness  to 
thy  friend? 


4.  THE  SWORD  AWAKING  AGAINST  THE  SHEPHERD  AND  THE  FLOCK. 

Chapter  XIII.   7-9. 

JL  The  Shepherd  is  smitten  at  Jehovah's  Command,  and  the  Sheep  scattered,  yet  not  hopelessly  (ver.  7). 
B.  The  Excision  of  Two  Thirds  of  the  Flock  (ver.  8).  C.  A  further  Refinement  by  Sorrow  mih  a 
joyful  Issue  (ver.  9). 

7  Awake,  O  sword,  against  my  shepherd, 

And  against  a  man,  my  fellow,^  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts ; 
Smite  the  shepherd  and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered, 
And  I  will  bring  back  my  hand  ^  upon  the  little  ones. 

8  And  it  shall  be  in  all  the  land,  saith  Jehovah, 
Two  parts  therein  shall  be  cut  off,^  shall  die. 
And  the  third  shall  be  left  therein. 


CHAPTER   XIII.    7-9. 


103 


And  T  will  bring  the  third  part  into  the  fire,* 

And  will  refine  them  as  silver  is  refined, 

And  will  try  them  as  gold  is  tried  ; 

He  ^  shall  call  upon  my  name  and  I  will  answer;' 

I  will  say/  It  is  my  people. 

And  he  shall  say,  Jehovah  is  my  God. 


TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

1  Ver.  7-  —  TT^ttl7   "^5?l»    '^^^^^  t"o  nouns  are  in  apposition,  just  as  in  the  analogous  phnse  TT^^Dn    tt7^M| 
to  Deut.  xxxiii.  8- 

5  Ver.  7.  —  "^T*    ^n^tt^n  =  return  my  hand,  stretch  it  out  again.   Cf.  2  Sam.  viii.  3. 

8  Ver.  8.  —  ^in]^3"J  =  shall  be  cut  off.    In  xiv.  2  this  verb  denotes  cutting  off  by  transportation,  but  here  ita  mom 
ia  determined  by  the  lollowing  verb. 

4  Ver.  9.  —  tt7M3.     Into  the  fire,  is  more  literal  and  expressive  than  the  B.  V.  through. 

6  Ver.  9.  —  S'lrr .     tie  shall  call.    It  is  better  to  preserve  the  singular  in  the  rendering,  as  more  idiomatic  and  moM 
TiTid. 

6  Ver.  9.  —  n327S  =  not  simply  will  hear,  as  in  B.  V.  (although  that  necessarily  includes  a  reply),  but  distinctly,  aiv 
ncer.    Cf.  Is.  Ixv.  24,  xli.  17.    So  Dr.  Riggs  (Emendations). 

7  Ver.  9.  —  Tl^SiM.    Before  this  preterite,  the  English  translator  of  Calvin  says  that  a  vav  conversive  is  dropped, 
which  he  undertakes  to  supply  from  the  LXX.,  Syriac,  and  Arabic  versions.     But  the  addition  is  as  unauthorized  as  it  i« 


tasteless. 


EXEQETICAL  AND  CRITICAL. 

Here  again  there  is  evidently  a  very  sudden 
change  of  subject.  The  prophet  passes  at  once 
from  recounting  the  evasions  of  a  pretender  to 
prophecy  to  a  dramatic  representation  of  the  good 
shepiierd  suffering  under  a  divine  infliction.  No 
transition  could  well  be  more  abrupt.  Moreover, 
he  seems  to  turn  back  on  his  course,  quite  forsak- 
ing the  chronological  order  he  has  heretofore  pur- 
sued in  developing  the  Messianic  revelation.  In 
the  ninth  chajster  he  set  forth  the  lowly  king,  indi- 
vidualizing his  peculiar  entrance  into  the  holy  city  ; 
in  the  eleventh  he  gave  a  symbolical  representation 
of  his  rejection  by  the  covenant  people,  with  a  dis- 
tinct allusion  to  the  wages  of  his  betrayer;  in  the 
twelfth  he  stated  the  wonderful  efficacy  of  the  sight 
of  his  pierced  form  in  awakening  the  deepest  pen- 
itence and  securing  pardon  and  renewal.  Yet  here 
instead  of  advancing  farther,  a  return  is  made  to 
the  fact  of  the  Messiah's  death.  How  are  we  to 
account  for  this  startling  transition  and  seemingly 
retrograde  movement  ?  Of  the  former,  Professor 
Cowles  (M.  P.,  p.  367)  suggests  an  ingenious  expla- 
nation founded  upon  the  law  of  association  of 
ideas.  "  The  close  analogy  between  the  false 
prophet,  whose  hands  had  been  gashed  and  pierced 
'  in  the  house  of  his  friends,'  and  the  Messiah, 
whose  hands  were  pierced  in  a  death  by  crucifixion 
among  those  who  ought  to  have  been  his  friends, 
suggested  the  latter  case  and  led  the  prophet;  to 
speak  of  it  here."  The  learned  Professor  has  cer- 
tainly given  the  clew  to  the  connection,  but  I  should 
prefer  to  state  it  in  a  different  way.  The  rela- 
tion is  one  of  contrast  rather  than  of  likeness. 
Zechariah  had  been  speakiTig  of  a  miserable  pre- 
tender to  prophecy,  a  man  marked  with  the  scars 
of  his  reasonless  wounds  received  in  idol-worship, 
and  vainly  attempting  to  falsify  their  origin.  Now 
he  turns  to  the  true  prophet  and  teacher,  the  faith- 
ful shepherd  whose  scars  are  real  and  significant, 
w'ao  was  not  only  wounded  but  slain,  and  whose 
■death  was  the  salvation  of  his  fioek.  But  in  stat- 
ing this  fact,  the  prophet  introduces  a  new  and  pe- 
•uliar  element  in  the  tragedy, — ooe  which  he  at 


least  had  not  before  emphasized  or  even  adverted 
to.  This  is  the  immediate  agency  of  Jehovah  in 
bringing  about  the  bloody  result.  It  is  God  who 
arouses  the  sword  sleeping  in  its  scabbard,  He 
points  it  at  his  own  fellow,  He  gives  the  command 
to  thrust  it  home. 

Here  then  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  the  seeming 
reversion  of  an  orderly  progress.  It  was  desirable 
to  suggest  the  divine  agency  in  the  atoning  death 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  that  not  simply  for  its 
own  sake  as  indicating  the  completeness  and  per- 
petuity of  the  satisfaction  rendered  (Is.  liii.  10),  but 
also  in  order  to  set  forth  the  assimilation  of  char- 
acter and  course  between  the  Shepherd  and  his 
flock.  Both  are  to  suffer,  although  in  different  re- 
lations and  for  different  purposes.  The  smiting  of 
the  leader  involves  in  the  first  instance  at  least  tlie 
scattering  of  the  sheep.  And  although  Jehovah 
will  turn  his  hand  for  good  upon  the  little  ones 
[the  little  flock,  Luke  xii.  32 J,  yet  afterwards  there 
will  be  severe  and  most  destructive  visitations,  cut- 
ting off  two  parts  out  of  three,  and  even  the  third 
part  that  remains  is  not  to  escape  unscathed.  It 
shall  be  cast  into  a  furnace,  and  there  be  subjected 
to  intense  and  protracted  heat,  until  as  in  the  case 
of  the  precious  metals  the  dross  and  alloy  are  con- 
sumed and  the  pure  gold  and  silver  is  left.  The 
head  and  the  members  of  the  spiritual  body  then 
are  to  pass  through  a  like  experience.  He  suffered, 
and  they  also  shall  suffer.  And  this  statement 
forms  a  necessary  limitation  of  the  glowing  passages 
in  earlier  predictions  which  seem  to  promise  un- 
broken prosperity  and  an  endless  train  of  outward 
blessings  (ix.  17,  x.  7,  12,  xii.  6,  9).  On  the  con- 
trary, while  the  flock  will  have  "peace"  in  its 
shepherd,  peace  in  its  largest  and  be:ft  sense,  yet  in 
the  world  it  shall  have  "  tribulation  "  In  the  gen- 
eral it  is  true,  and  always  has  \  een  true,  that 
"  through  much  tribulation  we  mus!  enter  the  king- 
dom of  God  "  (Acts  xiv.  22).  The  sphere  of  tha 
})rL'diction  is  not  to  be  arbitrarily  restricted.  It 
speaks  of  "  the  land,"  of  course  the  land  of  Israel, 
but  only  in  so  far  as  it  represents  the  theatre  upon 
which  the  adherents,  nominal  or  real,  of  the  Mes- 
siah are  found,  and  whether  they  belong  to  Israel 
after  the  flesh  or  not.   It  is  the  Church  of  the  future 


104 


ZECHARIAH. 


in  i's  composite  nature  to  which  Zechariah  refers, 
and  of  which  he  affirms  a  characteristic  feature, 
which  is  not  fortuitous  or  unmeaning:,  but  an  ex- 
press appointment  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  ;  intended 
to  briiio;  the  followers  of  the  Saviour  into  a  fellow- 
Ehip  of  sufferinof  with  Himself 

The  three  verses  of  this  passage  are  closely  con- 
nected. First,  there  is  a  clear  statement  of  the 
smiting  of  the  shepherd  by  Jehovah  Himself,  and 
then  a  representation  of  the  eftect  of  this  procedure 
upon  the  flock.  Such  effects  are  not  transient  but 
abiding,  or  rather,  the  immediate  result  typifies 
what  is  to  be  the  general  condition  of  the  flock 
while  it  is  passing  tlirough  the  wilderness  of  this 
world. 

Ver.  1.  Awake,  O  sword  ....  my  fellow. 
The  object  of  address  in  this  startling  dramatic 
outburst  is  not  some  unknown  person  (Hitzig),  but 
the  sword  itself  as  in  Jer.  xlvii.  6.  0  sword  of  Je- 
hovah, how  long  wilt  thou  not,  etc.  The  sword  here 
is  used  representatively  for  any  means  of  taking 
life.  Ex.  v.  21  ;  Rom.  xiii.  4.  The  Romans  called 
the  right  of  the  magistrates  to  inflict  capital  pun- 
ishment, jus  gladii.  Uriah  was  pierced  by  the  ar- 
rows of  the  Ammonites,  yet  the  Lord  said  to  David 
(2  Sam.  xii.  9),  "Thou  hast  slain  him  by  the 
sword  of  the  children  of  Ammon."  The  person 
against  whom  the  sword  is  to  execute  its  deadly 
mission  is  described  as  Jehovah's  shepherd,  the 
natural  reference  of  which  is  to  one  or  the  other  of 
the  shepherds  mentioned  in  ch.  xi.  Some  suppose 
that  the  foolish  shepherd  (xi.  15,  17)  is  intended 
(Grotius,  Ewald,  Maurer,  Hitzig),  but  this  does 
not  follow  necessarily  from  his  being  pierced  by 
the  sword,  since  in  Is.  liii.  Jehovah  is  represented 
as  bruising  his  righteous  servant  in  whom  He  finds 
no  fault.  It  is,  moreover,  put  out  of  the  question 
by  the  succeeding  clause,  the  man  my  fellow, 
which  could  not,  on  any  reasonable  view,  be  applied 

to  an  unworthy  person.  Tl^'X^P  "1?^  is  very  vari- 
ously rendered  in  the  versions,  —  LXX.,  fellow- 
citisen,  Aqu.,  kinsman,  Sym.,  of  my  people,  Syr., 
friend,  Targ.,  associate  who  is  like  him,  Vulg., 
who  cleaves  to  me,  Theod.,  neighbor.  The  word 
n"^;^!"'  is  found  only  here  and  in  Leviticus,  where 
it  occurs  eleven  times  (xix.  11,  15,  17,  etc.),  and 
always  with  a  pronominal  suffix,  and  as  a  concrete 
noun.  Its  general  force  is  shown  in  xxv.  1 5,  where 
it  is  used  interchangeably  with  brother.  It  is  cer- 
tainly an  abstract  noun  by  its  formation,  and  is  so 
rendered  by  many  (Gesenius,  Fiirst),  but  the  uni- 
form usage  in  Leviticus  is  decisive  against  this. 
Moses  employs  the  term  evidently  to  denote  a  close 
and  intimate  connection.  Perhaps  there  is  no  nearer 
English  equivalent  than  that  of  the  E.  V.,  — /el- 
low.  "^5.-1  is  not  the  ordinary  word  for  man,  but 
one  derived  from  a  root  signifying  to  be  strong, 
yet  it  is  doubtful  if  any  stress  is  to  be  laid  upon 
this  circumstance  (Neumann),  but  it  is  scarcely 
doubtful  that  the  term  calls  attention  to  the  fiict 
that  ho  who  is  Jehovah's  fellow  is  also  a  man  (Job 
xvi.  21).  Who  now  is  this  peculiar  being?  Not 
Jndas  Maccabaeus  (Grotius),  nor  Pekah  (Bunsen), 
nor  Jehoiakim  (Maurer),  nor  Josiah  as  represent- 
ing the  Davidic  line  (Pressel),  nor  the  whole  body 
of  rulers  including  Christ  (Calvin),  but  the  Mes- 
siah (Fathers,  Reformers,  and  most  moderns).  The 
nnity  indicated  by  the  term  fellow  is  one  not  merely 
of  will  or  association,  much  less  of  function,  but 

1  Stier  (Reden  Jesu,  in  toe.)  declares  that  Matthevr  did 
not  vu>e  the  LXX.,  which  is  true  in  respect  to  the  coninion 
iKit  of  the  SeveDty,  but  not  in  regard   to  the  Codex  Alex 


of  nature  or  essence.  It  is  common  to  object  to 
this  view  that  it  is  foreign  to  the  sphere  of  the  Old 
Testament,  which  knows  nothing  of  the  trinity  of 
persons  in  the  Godhead,  so  clearly  revealed  in  the 
New.  But  this  begs  the  question.  And  it  it  be 
admitted  that  a  plurality  of  persons  is  distinctly 
taught  in  the  later  Scriptures,  it  is  the  most  nat- 
ural thing  possible  to  find  indications  in  the  earlier 
revelation  pointing  in  this  direction,  —  not  proof- 
texts,  nor  direct  assertions,  but  statements  like 
those  in  Pss.  ii.,  ex.,  etc.,  which,  although  tl.ey 
may  have  been  mysterious  to  those  who  first  read 
or  heard  them,  are  to  us  illuminated  by  rays  re- 
flected back  from  the  Light  of  the  world.  Were 
there  any  doubt  it  would  be  removed  by  the  express 
allusion  of  our  Lord  in  Matt.  xxvi.  31,  32,  iVIark 
xiv.  27,  where  He  applies  the  latter  half  of  the 
verse  to  Himself  and  his  disciples.  Yet  this  part 
cannot  be  separated  from  what  precedes.  Both 
must  have  a  common  subject.  Smite  the  shep- 
herd. The  poetical  apostrophe  to  the  sword 
is  here  continued.  Michaelis  and  others  supposo 
the  address  to  be  indefinite,  because  the  noun  is 
feminine  while  the  verb  is  masculine,  but  such  an 
enallage  of  gender  is  not  uncommon  in  Hebrew. 
See  an  early  example  in  Gen.  iv.  7.  For  the  met- 
aphor in  the  scattering  of  the  sheep,  see  1  Kings 
xxii.  17.  In  our  Lord's  quotation,  he  uses  the 
LXX.,1  with  the  exception  of  the  initial  word, 
which  he  resolves  into  a  future,  /  vnll  smite.  This 
only  brings  out  more  clearly  what  is  the  obvious 
thought  of  the  whole  passage, —  the  direct  agency  of 
Jehovah  in  the  smiting.  As  the  Apostle  Peter  said 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  that  while  the  Jews  had  by 
wicked  hands  crucified  the  Saviour,  yet  this  was 
done  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  ibreknowl- 
edge  of  God.  Our  Lord  Himself  said  to  the  man 
who  ordered  the  crucifixion.  Thou  couldest  have 
no  power  at  all  against  me,  except  it  were  given 
thee  from  above  (John  xix.  11).  The  sheep  who 
are  scattered,  are  most  naturally  understood  as 
the  flock  which  the  shepherd  had  to  feed  (ch.  xi.  4), 
i.  e.,  not  the  entire  race  of  men  on  one  hand,  nor 
merely  the  Christian  Church  on  the  other,  but  the 
covenant  nation,  embracing  both  believing  and  un- 
believing members.  This  is  no  hindrance  to  the 
specific  application  of  the  words  made  by  our  Lord 
in  his  quotation.  The  dispersion  of  the  disciples 
upon  the  occasion  of  Christ's  arrest,  was  but  one 
fulfillment  of  this  extensive  statement,  I  will 
bring  back  my  hand.  This  phrase  =  to  make  a 
person  once  more  the  object  of  one's  active  care,  is 
in  itself  indefinite,  and  may  be  used  in  a  good 
sense  or  a  bad  one.  Here  the  former  seems  prefer- 
able (as  in  Is.  i.  25),  as  it  indicates  an  exception 
to  the  general  rule,  and  this  exception  is  made  in 
favor  of  the  httle  ones,  who  are  apparently  "  the 
wretched  of  the  flock,"  in  xi.  7,  II,  the  poor  and 
pious  portion  of  the  nation.  Hengstenberg  in  loc. 
denies  this,  but  does  not  seem  to  be  consistent  with 
himself  Indeed,  the  difference  stated  here  between 
the  whole  flock  scattered  and  the  little  ones  meici- 
fully  revisited,  is  simply  what  the  two  following 
verses  state  in  a  more  expanded  form  as  a  contrast 
between  a  general  uevastation  of  the  whole  body 
and  the  fate  of  a  small  portion  which  is  preserved 
through  the  trial,  and  by  means  of  it  is  refined,  puri- 
fied, and  blessed. 

Vers.  8,  9.    These  verses  dilate   the  thought  of 
the  previous  verse  in  regard  to  the  scattering  of 

andrinus,  from  which  he  differs  only  in  the  unimportanl 
point  mentioued  iu  the  text.  The  Vat.  and  Sinait.  Codi 
read,  jraTdiare  tovs  Troi/u.e'i'a?  xal  ciccrjroo'aTe  ra  irpoBarit 


CHAPTER  XIII.  7-y. 


IOL 


the  flock  and  the  return  of  God's  hand  in  mercy 
to  the  little  ones. 

Ver.  9.  In  all  the  land  =  not  the  earth  { Mark., 
Kliefoth)  but  the  land  in  which  the  Lord  had  un- 
dertaken the  office  of  a  shepherd,  and  with  which 
the  Prophet  throuy;hout  is  chiefly  concerned  (xii. 
12),  the  holy  land  (Hengstenberg,  Ewald,  Kohler) ; 
yet  not  this  in  its  literal  sense,  but  as  representing 
the  domain  covered  by  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
prediction  cannot  be  consistently  interpreted  as  re- 
ferring only  to  the  national  Israel. 

The  peculiar  expression  D~.3tt!'"'^2  =a  mouth  of 
two,  is  taken  from  the  Pentateuch  (Deut.  xxi.  17), 
where  it  indicates  the  double  portion  inherited  by 
the  first-born.  In  the  same  sense  it  is  used  by 
Elisha  (2  Kings  ii.  9),  where  the  younger  prophet 
by  no  means  asked  to  have  twice  as  much  of  the 
Spirit  as  Elijah  had,  but  to  receive  a  first-born's 
share  in  what  he  possessed,  so  that  he  might  thus 
become  his  acknowledged  heir  and  successor.  Here 
the  phrase  evidently  means  two-thirds,  since  what 
remains  is  called  the  third.  Shall  be  cut  off,  shall 
die.  The  latter  verb  removes  any  ambiguity  lurk- 
ing in  the  former,  and  shows  that  not  only  exile 
but  a  literal  death  is  intended.  This  frightful 
sweep  of  judgment  is  paralleled  by  the  words  of 
Ezek.  V.  2-12,  where  the  Lord  predicts  that  a  third 
part  shall  perish  by  pestilence  and  famine,  another 
third  by  the  sword,  and  the  remaining  third  be 
scattered  to  the  winds,  which  of  course,  although 
it  is  not  so  stated,  might  be  recovered  again.  (Cf. 
also  the  preservation  of  a  tenth  amid  a  general 
overthrow  in  Is.  vi.  13). 

Ver.  9.  Bring  the  third  part  into  the  fire. 
The  third  part,  although  it  will  escape  destruction, 
does  not  do  so  on  the  ground  of  inherent  righte- 
ousness, but  rather  of  grace.  Its  constituent  parts 
need  a  sore  discipline,  and  it  is  not  withheld.  They 
are  refined  and  purified  by  processes  as  severe  as 
those  to  which  the  precious  metals  are  subjected. 
The  metaphor  is  common  in  Scripture  (Ps.  Ix.  10 ; 
Is.  xlviii.  10  ;  Jer.  ix.  7  ;  Mai.  iii.  3.  The  Apos- 
tle Peter  (1  Pet.  i.  6,  7)  wrote,  "wherein  ye  great- 
ly rejoice,  though  now  for  a  season,  if  need  be, 
ye  are  in  heaviness  through  manifold  temptations, 
that  the  trial  of  your  faith  being  much  more  pre- 
cious than  of  gold  that  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried 
with  fire,  may  be  found  unto  praise  and  honor 
and  glory."  But  who  constitute  this  third  part  ? 
Some  say,  the  entire  race  of  the  Jews  during  the 
whole  period  of  tbe  present  dispersion  (C.  B. 
Michaelis,  Kohler,  et  al.),  but,  as  Hengstenberg 
justly  urges,  in  that  case  unbelieving  Judaism 
would  be  regarded  as  the  sole  and  legitimate  con- 
tinuation of  Israel,  which  is  simply  impossible. 
The  true  application  is  to  the  entire  kingdom  of 
God  on  earth,  whether  composed  of  Jews  or  of 
Gentiles.  True  believers  are  precious  in  the  Lord's 
eyes  as  silver  and  gold,  and  He  subjects  them  to 
an  intense  and  lengthened  trial,  but  the  design  and 
result  is  not  to  destroy  but  to  refine.  The  attain- 
ment of  this  result  is  well  expressed  by  the  con- 
cluding words,  showing  the  mutual  intercourse 
and  confidence  of  the  people  and  their  Lord.  They 
call  and  He  answers.  He  claims  them  for  his  peo- 
ple, and  they  claim  Him  for  their  God.  Everything 
IS  included  under  these  comprehensive  phrases  (cf 
viii.  8  ;  Hosea  ii.  25  ;  Jer.  xxiv.  7 ;  xxx.  22). 

Professor  Cowles  thus  states  the  connection  of 
the  verses  :  "  The  manifestation  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  flesh  served  to  reveal  the  utter  rottenness  of 
.he  visible  Jewish  Church.  When  the  Shepherd 
•ras  smitten,    the   mass   of  that    Church  went  to 


ruin  ;  only  a  few  of  the  little  ones  were  saved.  Se 
in  the  advanced  ages  of  the  Christian  Church,  cor- 
ruption became  again  fL-arfuUy  prevalent,  and  an- 
other great  sifting  process  became  indispensable 
before  the  era  of  the  final  conquest  and  triumph 
of  Christ's  kingdom  could  open  "  (M.  P.,  368). 


THEOLOGICAL  ATW  MORAL. 

1.  The  salient  point  of  the  enrir-^  passage  is  th« 
immediate  agency  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  in  the  suf 
fering  and  death  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  We  lose 
sight  of  an  ungrateful  people,  of  their  scornful  re- 
jection of  the  unspeakable  gift,  and  of  the  spear 
by  which  human  hands  pierce  a  royal  benefactor,  . 
and  are  set  face  to  face  with  a  tragedy  in  whici 
one  divine  person  gives  over  another  to  a  violent 
death.  A  man,  a  real,  veritable  man  is  the  sub- 
ject of  the  infliction,  but  that  man  is  the  fellow  of 
Jehovah.  The  wondrous  constitution  of  his  per- 
sonality, a  divine  nature  wrapping  around  itself 
our  humanity  in  an  indissoluble  union,  rendered 
this  possible."  Its  actual  occurrence  is  the  most 
significant  truth  in  Christian  theology.  The  atone- 
ment of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  in  no  sense  an 
act  of  will-worship,  a  device  from  without  to  ap- 
pease the  wrath  of  a  Moloch  sitting  upon  the 
throne  of  the  universe.  On  the  contrary,  it  was 
the  expression  of  God's  infinite  wisdom  and  love, 
the  result  of  his  own  self-moved  grace  and  com- 
passion. As  the  record  runs  in  the  fore-front  of 
the  Gospel,  God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  hia 
only  begotten  Son.  And  that  Son  said  in  proph- 
ecy, "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  thy  will,  0  God  "  (Ps.  xl. 
7,8 ;  Heb.  x.  9,  10),  and  in  his  own  person,  "  I  lay 
down  my  life  ;  this  commandment  have  I  received 
of  my  Father"  (John  x.  17).  It  was  then  God 
the  supreme,  God  the  judge,  God  whose  law  was 
broken,  who  originated  and  carried  through  the 
great  sacrifice.  And  behind  all  the  voluntary  and 
wicked  actors  in  the  scenes  of  the  praatorium  and 
the  Mount  of  Calvary  stood  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
saying.  Awake,  O  sword.  The  Lord  laid  on  him 
the  iniquity  of  us  all.  It  pleased  the  Loed  to 
bruise  Him.  He  put  his  soul  to  grief  The  Apos- 
tle speaks  of  the  love  of  Christ  as  that  which  pass- 
eth  knowledge ;  but  the  same  is  equally  true  of 
the  eternal  Father.  "  God  only  knows  the  love  of 
God."  No  human  plummet  is  long  enough  to 
sound  the  depths  of  that  grace  which  led  Jehovah 
of  Hosts  to  say  of  bis  only-begotten,  Smite  the 
shepherd.  The  Lord  Jesus  was  his  own  Son,  the 
brightness  of  his  glory  and  the  very  image  of  his 
being,  and  therefore  the  object  of  infinite  compla- 
cency, dear  to  Him  beyond  all  human  expression 
or  conception,  and  yet  He  spared  Him  not,  but 
freely  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all. 

2.  The  references  of  our  Lord  to  this  passage 
bear  mainly  upon  its  statement  concerning  his  fol- 
lowers. In  John  (xvi.  32)  we  read,  "  Behold  the 
hour  Cometh,  yea  is  now  come  that  ye  shall  be 
scattered  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave 
me  alone."  Matthew  (xxvi.  31)  gives  a  later  and 
fuller  expression,  "  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because 
of  me  this  night,  for  it  is  written,  I  will  smite  the 
shepherd  and  the  sheep  of  tbe  flock  shall  be  scat- 
tered abroad."  The  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  but 
very  far  from  being  exhausted,  in  the  dispersion 
of  the  disciples  when  our  Lord  was  arrested  The 
cause  of  the  flight  of  the  twelve  was  that  their 
f\iith  was  staggered  and  their  confidence  impaired 
by  such  an  untoward  event  So  it  has  always 
been.     "  The  oflense  of  the  cr  ss  "  shows  itself  in 


lot) 


ZECHARIAH. 


tvery  generation.  The  iirnominious  death  of  the 
Shepherd  is  a  :ftumblin<;-bloek  to  the  Hock.  But 
this  does  not  continue  in  "  the  little  ones,"  the 
faithful  few.  They  are  recovered  by  the  Lord's 
own  hand,  and  made  to  rejoice  in  that  which  once 
was  most  offensive.  Tliis  is  intimated  by  the 
Saviour  in  the  words  which  follow  the  quotation 
in  Matthew  given  above,  "  But  after  I  am  risen 
again  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  This  go- 
ing before  {irpod^(o) ,  is  a  pastoral  act  in  which  the 
shepherd  leads  the  way,  and  is  followed  by  the 
flock.  Just  as  the  Saviour  gathered  again  those 
who  fled  in  fear  on  the  night  of  the  betrayal,  so 
does  He  still  gather  those  who  at  first  start  back 
from  a  near  view  of  the  cross. 

They  find  that  cross  not  only  the  conspicuous 
badge  of  their  profession  but  its  characteristic  feat- 
ure. In  a  remarkable  passage  in  the  Gospel  of 
Matthew  (xvi.  21-25),  our  Lord  first  foretells  his 
own  sufferings  at  the  hands  of  the  elders  and  chief 
priests  and  scribes,  and  then  immediately  proceeds 
to  set  forth  similar  trials  as  the  necessary  result 
of  attachment  to  Him.  His  adherents  must  needs 
take  up  their  cross  and  follow  Him  even  to  Gol- 
gotha. The  motto  of  the  Reformed  in  Holland  — 
the  Church  under  the  Cross  —  is  true  of  all  believers. 
"  All  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suf- 
fer persecution."  "  The  friendship  of  the  world 
is  enmity  with  God."  "  If  ye  were  of  the  world, 
the  world  would  love  its  own,  but  because  ye  are 
not  of  the  world  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the 
world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you."  "  If  they 
have  persecuted  me,  they  will  also  persecute  you." 
Believers  then  are  not  to  count  it  strange  when  a 
tiery  trial  befalls  them,  as  if  it  were  a  strange  thing 
(1  Pet.  iv.  12).  So  far  from  being  strange,  it  is  a 
normal  procedure.  God's  people  are  to  be  "  par- 
takers of  Christ's  sufferings."  In  their  case,  as  in 
his,  the  cross  precedes  the  crown. 

When  great  providential  calamities,  such  as  war, 
pestilence,  famine,  occur,  they  are  not  exempt.  But 
the  stroke  which  overwhelms  and  destroys  others, 
is  to  them  overruled  for  good.  Bad  trees  are  merci- 
lessly rooted  out,  but  the  good  are  only  "  purged  " 
or  pruned.  The  spurious,  reprobate  metal  is  cast 
away,  but  the  genuine  article  comes  out  of  the  fur- 
nace purified  and  ennobled.  It  was  needful  for 
them  to  go  through  the  process.  The  holiest  of 
mere  men  is  improved  by  passing  through  the  fire. 
A  high  encomium  was  pronounced  upon  Job  be- 
fore his  afflictions,  yet  the  issue  of  his  unparalleled 
Erobation  taught  him  that  he  was  vile,  and  laid 
im  in  dust  and  ashes  (xl.  4  ;  xlii.  6).  Sorrows 
are  one  of  the  tokens  of  sonship  ;  to  forget  this  is 
to  faint  in  the  day  of  adversity.  "  The  fellowship 
of  his  sufferings"  (Phil.  iii.  10),  the  community  of 
shepherd  and  fiock  in  trials,  is  one  of  the  blessed 
mysteries  of  the  Christian  life.  Believers  drink 
of  Christ's  cup  and  are  baptized  with  his  baptism. 
Companionship  in  sorrow  links  them  by  closer  ties 
and  brings  them  into  tenderer  communion  than  is 
possible  in  any  other  way.  And  so  the  assimila- 
tion proceeds  rapidly  from  glory  to  glory.  The 
Buffering  people  are  changed  into  the  image  of 
their  once  suffering  Lord,  and  they  justly  glory  in 
infirmities. 

3.  The  summit  of  human  felicity  is  described  in 
the  mutual  proprietorship  which  the  Prophet,  fol- 
lowing his  predecessors,  ascribes  to  God  and  his 
people.  On  the  one  hand,  Jehovah  says.  It  is  my 
people.  The  foundation  passage  on  this  point  is 
given  in  Ex.  xiv.  5  :  "Ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treas- 
ure unto  me  above  all  peoples;  for  all  the  earth 
is  mine."     The  whole  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  all 


nations  belong  to  Him  as  Creator  and  Preserver 

but  He  has  been  pleased  to  choose  one  to  stand  t( 
Him  in  a  particular  and  most  endearing  relation. 

Israel  is  his  H  ■-  VD,  set  apart  and  distingi  jshed 
from  all  others  as  a  possession  of  peculiar  ralue. 
Cf.  Deut.  vii.  6  ;  xiv.  2  ;  xxvi.  18;  Ps.  cxxxv.  4, 
Mai.  iii.  17.  Language  of  the  same  tenor  is  aj)- 
plied  in  the  New  Testament  to  the  Christian  Is- 
rael;  "a  purchased  possession"  (Eph.  i.  14),  "a 
peculiar  people  "  (Titus  ii.  14  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  9).  JB>om 
the  mass  of  fallen  men,  Jehovah  chooses  an  in- 
numerable nmltitude  whom  He  condescends  to  call 
his  portion  or  inheritance.  On  them  He  lavishes 
the  riches  of  his  grace,  and  in  them  He  reveals  his 
glory  to  the  admiration  of  all  holy  intelligences. 
And  they  are  fitted  to  this  high  destiny,  being  con- 
formed to  the  image  of  their  Lord,  and  obedient 
to  his  will.  As  such  He  spares  them  in  times  of 
trial  as  a  man  spareth  his  own  son  that  serveth 
him  (Mai.  iii.  17),  has  "his  delights"  with  them 
(Prov.  viii.  31),  and  rejoices  over  them  with  the 
joy  of  a  bridegroom  over  his  bride  (Is.  Ixii.  5). 

On  the  other  hand,  the  people  say,  Jehovah  is 
my  God.  Not  only  do  they  acknowledge  Him  as 
divine  and  profess  his  worship  in  distinction  from 
heathen  or  infidels,  but  they  recognize  Him  as 
their  infinite  portion.  The  knowledge  of  Him  is 
the  best  of  all  knowledges,  and  his  service  is  the 
highest  form  of  enjoyment.  His  favor  is  life,  his 
loving-kindness  better  than  life.  His  perfections 
are  a  sure  pledge  of  their  safety,  blessedness,  and 
glory.  His  gifts  are  many  and  precious,  but  He 
himself  is  better  than  them  all,  and  the  intimate 
and  sacred  communion  his  people  are  permitted  to 
hold  with  Him  fills  the  measure  of  their  happiness. 
Even  under  the  shadows  of  the  Old  Testament 
they  found  their  supreme  delight  here.  O  God, 
thou  art  my  God,  my  soul  thirsteth  for  Thee,  my 
flesh  longeth  for  Thee  (Ps.  Ixiii.  1).  Whom  have  I 
in  heaven  but  Thee "?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth 
that  I  desire  besides  Thee  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  25). 

This  thought  is  applied  by  Augustine  {Civ.  Dei, 
xxii.  20)  to  the  future  home  of  the  spirits  of  the 
just.  "  The  reward  of  righteousness  will  be  He 
who  Himself  imparted  righteousness,  and  who 
promises  Himself  than  whom  there  can  be  no  gift 
better  or  greater.  For  what  else  has  He  said  by 
his  Prophet,  '  I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they 
shall  be  to  me  a  people  ; '  what  else  but  this  :  '  I 
will  be  that  wherein  they  shall  be  satisfied  ;  I  will 
be  all  things  that  men  righteously  desire  ;  life  and 
health,  and  food  and  abundance,  glory  and  honor, 
and  peace  and  all  things  ■? '  For  so  do  we  rightly 
understand  also  what  the  Apostle  says,  That  God 
may  be  all  in  all.  He  will  be  the  end  of  all  our  de- 
sires, who  will  Himself  be  seen  without  end,  will 
be  loved  without  satiety,  will  be  praised  without 
weariness.  This  affection,  this  business,  this  func- 
tion of  our  being  will  be  common  to  us  all,  like 
life  everlasting  itself." 


HOMILEIICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Moore  :  Ver.  7.  Awake,  0  sword,  etc.  How 
fearful  an  evil  is  sin  when  it  could  call  forth  the 
sword  against  God's  own  coequal  and  well-beloved 
Son  !  The  death  of  Christ  was  the  judicial  sen- 
tence of  God  against  sin,  the  endurance  of  the 
penalty  of  thq  law,  and  therefore,  strictly  vicari- 
ous and  propitiatory.  No  human  merit  can  min- 
gle with  the  infinite  merit  of  the  wcrk  of  Christ 
for  He  trod  the  "'ine-press  alone. 


CHAPTER   XIV.  107 


Ralph  Erskine  :  Awak-e,  0  sword,  etc.  This  |  and  the  chaff  are  cast  into  the  fire,  hut  without 
text,  sirs,  is  a  very  wonderful  one,  as  ever  a  poor,  any  benefit,  for  they  are  wholly  consumed.  But 
liortal  man  preached  upon.     For  in  it  there  is  a   when  gold  and  silver  are  put  in  the  fire,  it  is  that 


lloud,  a  black  cloud,  a  cloud  of  divine  wrath  and 
vengeance,  the  cloud  of  Christ's  bloody  passion 
which  we  are  to  celebrate  the  memorials  of  this 
day;  but  like  the  cloud  that  led  Israel  in  the  wil- 
derness, though  it  had  a  black  side  toward  Christ, 
yet  it  has  a  bright  and  light  side  toward  all  the 
Israel  of  God  ;  for  this  cloud  of  blood  distills  in  a 
sweet  shower  of  blessings  unto  poor  sinners  ;  there 
is  a  light  in  this  cloud  wherein  we  may  see  God  in 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself. 
Calvin  :     WiU  refine  them,  etc.     The  stubble 


reater  purity  may  be  produced,  and  what  is  pre- 
cious be  made  more  apparent.  Do  any  ask  whether 
God  can  by  his  Spirit  alone  draw  the  elect  to  re- 
ligion, and  if  so,  why  this  fire  of  affliction  is  neces- 
sary 1  The  answer  is,  that  the  Prophet  speaks  not 
of  what  God  can  do  but  of  what  He  will  do,  and 
we  ought  not  to  dispute  on  the  subject  but  be  sat- 
isfied with  what  He  has  appointed.  Though  chas- 
tisement is  hard  while  we  are  undergoing  it,  yet 
we  should  estimate  it  by  its  result,  the  peaceable 
fruits  of  righteousness  (Heb.  xii.  11). 


6.  FINAL  CONFLICT  AND  TRIUMPH  OF  GOD'S  KINGDOM. 
Chapter  XIV. 

A  great  and  at  first  successful  Assault  is  made  upon  the  Holy  City  (vers.  1,  2).  B.  Then  God  tniraeU' 
lously  interposes,  grants  Escape,  and  after  a  mingled  Condition  of  Things  gives  a  final  and  glorious  Deliver- 
ance  (vers.  3-7).  C.  A  Stream  of  Salvation  pours  over  the  whole  Land  (xers.  8-1 1 ).  D.  The  Enemim 
arediastised  (vers.  12-15).  E.  The  Remnant  of  Them  turn  to  the  Lord  (vers.  16-19).  F.  Jem- 
mdem  becomes  thoroughly  Holy  (vers.  20,  21). 

1  Behold,  a  day  cometh  to  Jehovah,^ 

And  thy  spoil  is  divided  in  the  midst  of  thee. 

2  And  I  will  gather  all  the  nations  to  Jerusalem  to  battle ; 
And  the  city  shall  be  taken  and  the  houses  ^  rifled, 

And  the  women  shall  be  ravished ;  ^ 

And  half  the  city  shall  go  forth  into  captivity, 

And  the  residue  of  the  people  shall  not  be  cut  off  from  the  <ri^ 

3  And  Jehovah  shall  go  forth  and  fight  against  those  nations, 
As  in  *  his  day  of  battle,  in  the  day  of  conflict. 

4  And  his  feet  shall  stand  in  that  day  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives 
Which  is  before  Jerusalem  on  the  east ; 

And  the  Mount  of  Olives  shall  be  split  in  the  centre 
Eastward  and  westward,  a  very  great  valley,* 
And  half  of  the  mountain  shall  recede  towards  the  Borth) 
And  its  (other)  half  toward  the  south. 

5  And  ye  shall  flee  ^  to  the  valley  of  my  mountains,' 
For  the  valley  of  the  mountains  shall  reach  unto  Azal, 
And  ye  shall  flee  as  ye  fled  before  the  earthquake, 

In  the  days  of  Uzziah  the  king  of  Judah ; 
And  Jehovah  my  God  shall  come, 
All  the  saints  with  thee !  ^ 

6  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day. 

It  will  not  be  light,  the  glorious  ®  will  withdraw  themselTei* 

7  And  the  day  shall  be  one. 

It  shall  be  known  to  Jehovah, 

Not  day  and  not  night. 

And  at  evening  time  there  shall  be  light. 

8  And  it  shall  be  in  that  day, 

Living  waters  shall  go  out  from  Jerusalem, 
Half  of  them  to  the  eastern  ^^  sea, 
And  half  of  them  to  the  western  sea, 
In  summer  and  in  winter  shall  it  be. 

9  And  Jehovah  shall  be  king  over  all  the  land ; 

In  that  day  Jehovah  shall  be  one  "  and  his  name  one. 


108  ZECHARIAH. 


10  All  the  land  shall  be  changed  like  the  plain 
From  Geba  to  Rimmon  south  of  Jerusalem, 
And  she  shall  be  high,'^  and  dwell  in  her  place 
From  Benjamin's  gate  to  the  place  of  the  first  gate, 
To  the  corner  gate. 

And  from  the  tower  of  Hananeel  to  the  king's  wine-presses. 

11  Ajid  they  shall  dwell  in  her. 

And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse,'^ 
And  Jerusalem  shall  sit  secure.'* 

12  And  this  shall  be  the  plague 

With  which  Jeho\ah  will  smite  all  the  peoples  '* 

Who  have  fought  against  Jerusalem  ; 

His  "^  flesh  shall  consume  awaj  while  he  stands  upon  his  feet, 

And  his  eyes  shall  consume  away  in  their  sockets. 

And  his  tongue  shall  consume  away  in  their  mouth. 

13  Ajid  it  shall  be  in  that  day  that 

There  shall  be  among  them  a  great  confusion  '"^  from  Jehovah, 

And  they  shall  seize  each  his  neighbor's  hand. 

And  his  hand  shall  rise  up  against  the  hand  of  his  neighbor; 

14  And  Judah  also  .shall  fight  at  "*  Jerusalem, 

And  the  riches  of  all  the  nations  around  shall  be  gathere(l. 
Gold  and  silver  and  apparel  in  great  abundance. 

15  Ajid  so  '^  shall  be  the  plague  of  the  horse, 
Of  th«  mule,  of  the  camel,  and  of  the  ass, 

And  of  all  the  cattle  that  shall  be  in  th'ese  camps, 
Even  as  this  plague. 

16  And  it  shall  be  that 

All  that  is  left  of  the  nations  which  came  against  Jerusalem 

Shall  ^°  go  up  from  ^^  year  to  year 

To  worship  the  King,  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 

And  to  keep  the  feast  of  tabernacles. 

17  And  it  shall  be  that  whoso  of  the  ^  families  of  the  earth 
Shall  not  go  up  to  Jerusalem 

To  worship  the  King,  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
Upon  them  there  shall  be  no  rain. 

18  And  if  the  family  of  Egypt  go  not  up  and  come  not, 
Upon  ^  them  there  shall  be  none, 

[Upon  them]  shall  be  the  plague 

With  which  Jehovah  shall  plague  the  nations 

Which  go  not  up  to  keep  the  feast  of  tabernacles. 

19  This  shall  be  the  sin  "^^  of  Egypt, 
And  the  sin  of  all  the  nations 

Which  go  not  up  to  keep  the  feast  of  tabernacles. 

20  In  that  day  there  shall  be  on  the  bells  ^  of  the  horses. 
Holiness  to  Jehovah, 

And  the  pots  in  the  house  of  Jehovah 
Shall  be  as  the  bowls  before  the  altar. 

21  And  every  })ot  in  Jerusalem  and  in  Judah 
Shall  be  holiness  to  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 
And  all  who  sacrifice  shall  come 

And  take  of  tliem  and  sacrifice  therein. 

And  there  shall  no  more  be  a  Canaanite  * 

In  the  house  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  in  that  day. 

TEXTUAL  AND  QRAMMATICAl,. 

1  Ver.  1         nin^^   IB  to  be  connectod  with  Cil  =  Jeliovah's  da>.     See  Exee.  and  Cvl* 
T      I  - 

I  V«r.  3     -  C^i^lSn.      The  Muaach  stauds  here  in  place  of  Metheg,  to  show  that  th'  »owel  IB  luti^ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


109 


•  V«r.  2. —  n37!lI5'Fl,     The  Keri  substitutes  for  this  word,  here  as  elsewhere  (Deut.  xxTiii.  30,  etc.)t  th«  wort 
33t&  — a  Teiy  needless  euphemism. 
4  Ver  3  -    D'1"^3.     The  preposition  is  to  be  supplied  from  the  next  clause. 
6  Ver.  4.  —  S"^5  is  not  a  cas.  construe,  of  S^D  (Ewald,  Green),  but  an  absolute  form  of  the  same  noun  (Fiint). 

6  Ver.  5  — In  place  of  01^03  several  MSS.  read  Dnp3,  which  is  the  reading  followed  by  LXX.  Aq.,  Sjm^ 
Targ. ,  Arab.,  the  first  of  which  renders  eij.<f)ftax6io<rerai.,  shall  be  stopped  vp.  This  is  adopted  by  Fliigge,  Dathe,  Blayneji 
mad  Boothroyd  ;  but  the  sense  is  so  inept  that  some  modern  critics  retuse  even  to  notice  it. 

7  Ver.  6.  —  ''"^n   is  not  a  simple  plural,  but  has  the  suffix  of  the  first  person. 

8  Ver.  5.  —  Instead  of  Tfl227  many  MSS.  and  all  the  old  versions  read  iS17,  but  the  former  is  to  be  preferred,  both 
•s  the  more  difficult  reading  and  as  more  vivid  and  expressive. 

9  Ver.  6.  — Henderson  claims  a  preponderance  of  MSS.  autUority  for  the  Keri    5^1   over  the  Kethib  'D3''    and  the 

T '  •  :  T  ;   •' 

ancient  versions  all  favor  it,  yet  exegetical  necessity  compels  one  to  adopt  the  latter.     So  Hengstenberg,  Hoffinann,  Klief- 
oth,  Kohler,  Keil,  Pressel,  Dr.  Van  Dyck  in  new  AraJi.  Bible,  Fiirst  in  his  new  German  Version,  etc. 

10  Ver.  8.  —  ^2i^7j7n.  The  E.  V.  "  former  "  is  misleading.  The  Genevan  gives  "  east  "  which  is  correct.  The 
Hebrews  determined  the  points  of  the  compass  by  looking  to  the  east,  and  so  what  was  before  them  was  the  east,  and 
what  was  "IflS  =  behind,  was  west. 

11  Ver.  9.  —  Henderson  objects  to  the  rendering  "  Jehovah  shall  be  one,"  that  it  makes  "  the  passage  teach  either  that 
Jehovah  was  not  one  before,  or  that  he  will  no  longer  be  three  or  triune;  "  and  he  renders  "Jehovah  alone  shall  be." 
But  his  scruples  are  idle.  What  is  meant  is  the  universal  recognition  of  the  divine  unity  and  self-existence,  and  this  il 
obtained  just  as  well  by  the  ordinary  rendering  as  by  the  one  he  suggests  (cf.  Deut.  vi.  4). 

12  Ver.  10 —  This  is  the  only  place  where  the  form  CSn  occurs  ;  in  all  other  cases  C^l  is  used.  True,  here 
Fiirst  takes  rtttS"!  for  a  proper  noun,  and  renders,  "  like  the  plain  of  Jordan  shall  Jerusalem  and  Bamah  be  finiitfol 
and  inhabited"  (Lex.  siib.  voc),  but  this  wholly  disregards  the  accents,  and  furnishes  no  equivalent,  since  the  mention 
of  such  an  obscure  place  would  be  unmeaning.    He  himself  in  his  new  German  Version  returns  to  the  old  interpretation 

18  Ver.  11.  —  DT^n.  The  E.  V.  "utter  destruction,"  hardly  expresses  the  force  of  this  word,  which  means  soota 
destruction  caused  by  a  divine  decree  =  curse  (Mai.  iv.  6). 

14  Ver.  11.  —  n^!2     W^.     Here,  the  strict  rendering  sit  secure,  is  more  vivid  tlian  the  E.  V.,  safely  inhabited 

15  Ver.  12.  —  D^^V  =  peoples,  cf.  on  viii.  22. 

16  Ver.  12.  —  His  flesh,  etc.  The  suffixes  are  all  singular  except  in  the  case  of  the  last  noun,  their  mouth.  Of  eonxM 
tbe  meaning  is  "  each  one's  "  flesh,  etc. 

17  Ver.  18.  —  "  Tumult "  does  not  express  the  full  sense  of  nJS-inXS  =  a  panic  terror  or  confiision  (1  Sam.  sly.  20). 

t 

18  Ver.  14.  —  "'"'2.  The  text  of  the  E-  V.  is  right,  and  the  marginal  reading  against  to  be  rcgected.  See  Exeg.  and 
Crit. 

19  Ver.  15.  —  ^D  here  precedes  its  correlative  D  •  elsewhere  the  order  is  just  the  reverse. 

30  Ver.  16.  —  The  construction  is  anacolonthic  ;  the  subject  standing  absolutely  at  the  beginning,  whUe  the  predicati 
Is  appended  with  vav  conver.  ^7!S7i. 

21  Ver.  16.  —  "*^Si  is  literally  "Jrom  the  sufficiency  of  year  to  year,"  but  expresses  nothing  more  than  the  simola 
preposition  (cf.  Is.  Ix.  23). 

22  Ver.  17.  —  The  "  all  "  supplied  by  the  E.  V.  is  quite  superfluous. 

28  Ver.  18.  —  Qn^737    S^l  introduces  the  apodosis,  and  DttJSn  is  to  be  supplied  from  the  preceding  verse. 

24  Ver.  19.  —  jHS^n  (LXX. :  ofiapTta,  Vulg. :  peccatum)  should  surely  be  rendered  sin,  however  it  may  be  ex 
plained.  Dr.  Van  Dyck,  in  the  new  Arabic  Bible,  conforms  to  the  E.  V.,  as  does  Fiirst  in  ills  German  Version.  The 
Dutch  Bible  has,  de  zonde  ;  Luther,  Siinde. 

25  Ver.  20. —  Hw^P.  LXX.  :  x<iAiVoi/ ;  \\i\g.,  JrcBnum  ;  Luther,  Rustung ;  but  the  meaning  in  E.  V.,  bells,  ia 
DOW  established.     Dr.  Riggs  gives  a  wordy  paraphrase,  tinkling  bridle  ornaments. 

M  Ver.  21.  —  ''^VSD.     L^^-  transfer  the  word.     Vulg.  translates,  —  mercator ;  Fiirst  Krdrrur. 


CRITICAL  AND  EXEGETICAL. 

This  concluding  chapter  of  the  Prophet  has  been 
very  variously  interpreted.  Calvin,  Grotius,  and 
others  supposed  it  to  refer  to  the  times  of  the  Mac- 
cabees, which  for  a  variety  of  reasons  is  scarcely 
possible.  Marckius,  followii  g  Cyril  and  Theod- 
oret,  applied  its  opening  verses  to  the  conquest  of 
Jerusalem  by  Titus,  and  with  him  agree  Lowth, 
Adam  Clarke,  and  Henderson  ;  but  the  circum- 
stances here  stated  do  not  correspond  with  the 
facts  of  history,  nor  if  they  did,  could  the  former 
var:  of  the  chapter  be  violently  sundered  from  its 


plain  connection  with  the  latter  part.  The  "  later 
criticism"  (Hitzig,  Knobel,  Maurer,  Ewald,  Ber- 
theau,  etc.),  refer  the  passage  to  the  period  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  Babylonish  exile  and  the  catas- 
trophe then  threatening  Jerusalem  ;  and  when  re- 
minded of  the  contrast  between  the  prediction  and 
the  facts,  appeal  to  the  ethical  aim  and  conditional 
nature  of  prophecy  as  fully  accounting  for  this. 
But  even  admitting  their  principle,  it  does  not  ap- 
ply here,  for  this  chapter  has  nothing  to  say  of  sin 
and  judgment,  of  repentance  and  conversion  on 
the  part  of  the  covenant  people,  but  only  of  their 
dreadful  trials  and  glorious  deliverance.  Sucli  a 
prediction,  addressed  to  Judah  in  the  last  decen- 


110 


ZECHARIAH. 


nium  before  the  exile,  could  have  exerted  no 
healthful  influence,  and  certainly  the  glowing 
Itatemcnts  of  the  latter  jiart  of  it  have  no  counter- 
part in  any  experience  of  the  restored  people.  It 
only  remains  then  either  with  Wordsworth,  Blay- 
ney,  Newcome,  Moore,  Cowles,  etc.,  to  refer  it  to  a 
period  yet  future,  or  with  Hengstenberg,  Keil,  etc., 
to  suppose  that  it  describes  in  general  terms  the 
whole  development  of  the  Church  of  God  from  the 
commencement  of  the  Messianic  era  to  its  close. 
In  either  case  the  chapter  must  be  taken  as  figura- 
tive and  not  literal.  The  cleaving  of  the  Mount 
of  01i\  es  in  two  for  the  purpose  of  affording  escape 
to  fiigitives  from  Jerusalem  ;  the  flowing  of  two 
perpetual  streams  from  the  holy  city  in  opposite 
directions  ;  the  levelling  of  the  whole  land  in  order 
to  exalt  the  temple-mountain  ;  the  yearly  pilgrim- 
age of  all  nations  of  the  earth  to  Jerusalem  ;  and 
the  renewal  of  the  old  sacrifices  of  the  Mosaic  rit- 
ual ;  these  are  plainly  symbolical  statements,  but 
not  therefore  by  any  means  unmeaning  or  useless. 
The  chapter  does  not  stand  alone  in  the  Scriptures. 
Parallels  are  to  be  found  in  Isaiah  (Ixv.,  Ixvi.), 
Ezekiel  (xxxviii.,  xxxix.),  and  Daniel  (xii.),  as 
well  as  in  the  closing  book  of  the  New  Testament. 
The  Prophet  begins  with  the  account  of  an  at- 
tack made  upon  the  holy  city  by  all  nations,  who, 
instead  of  being  destroyed  (like  Gog  and  Magog 
in  Ezekiel)  before  getting  possession  of  the  holy 
city,  seize  and  plunder  it  and  carry  away  half  its 

Jopulation,  and  then  are  met  and  thwarted  by 
ehovah,  who  provides  escape  for  his  people.  This 
feature  of  escape  inclines  one  to  regard  the  pas- 
sage as  an  ideal  picture  of  all  the  conflicts  of  the 
Church  with  its  foes. 

(a.)  Vers.  1,2.  The  Attack.  Ver.  1.  Behold,  a 
day  Cometh,  etc.  A  day  to  Jehovah  =  one  belong- 
ing to  Him,  appointed  for  the  manifestation  of  his 
power  and  glory  (cf  Is.  ii.  12).  The  final  result 
makes  this  abundantly  plain.  Thy  spoil,  etc. 
The  Prophet  addresses  the  city  and  says  that  her 
booty,  not  (as  T.  V.  Moore,  following  the  Tar- 
gum,  strangely  imagines)  that  which  she  takes, 
but  that  which  is  taken  from  her,  is  leisurely  di- 
vided among  the  conquerors  in  the  midst  of  the 
city.  The  details  implied  in  this  general  announce- 
ment are  stated  in  the  next  verse. 

Ver.  2.  And  I  will  gather  ....  ravished. 
Jehovah  collected  these  nations  just  as  He  roused 
Pharaoh  to  pursue  Israel  (Ex.  xiv.  4),  in  the  same 
way  and  with  the  same  result.  The  divine  pur- 
pose presides  over  all  human  wrath  and  wicked- 
ness, and  gains  its  ends,  not  only  in  spite,  but 
often  by  means,  of  them.  The  rifling  of  the  houses 
and  dishonoring  of  the  women  are  expressions 
taken  from  Is.  xiii.  16,  where  they  are  used  in  ref- 
erence to  Babylon.  And  half  of  the  city,  etc. 
Only  a  part  of  the  inhabitants  are  to  be  driven 
into  exile,  the  rest  remain.  It  was  different  at 
the  Chaldajan  conquest  of  Jerusalem,  for  then  the 
greater  portion  were  carried  away,  and  afterwards 
even  "  the  remnant  that  was  left"  (2  Kings  xxv. 
11).  The  verse  cannot  therefore  refer  to  that  sub- 
jugation. Nor  can  it  be  applied  to  the  overthrow 
of  the  holy  city  by  Titus,  who  neither  had  all  na- 
tions under  his  banner,  nor  left  a  half  of  the  pop- 
ulation in  possession  of  their  homes. 

(b.)  Vers.  3-7.  The  Deliverance.  Ver.  3.  Jeho- 
vah goeth  forth  ....  battle.  God  Himself  goes 
forth  against  these  foes,  and  fights  for  his  people 
as  He  is  accustomed  to  do  in  a  day  of  battle.  The 
latter  clause  does  not  seem  to  refer  particularly  to 
the  conflict  at  the  Red  Sea  (Jerome,  Hengsten- 
4>erg),  but  rathei  to  the  Lord's  general  course,  as 


shown  in  many  former  instances  (Keil,  Kohler) 
Josh.  X.  14-42  ;  xxiii.  3  ;  Judg.  iv.  15  ;  2  Chron 
XX.  15. 

Ver.  4.  His  feet  stand  ....  south.  The 
situation  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  —  which  is  be- 
fore Jerusalem  —  is  not  added  as  a  geographical 
designation,  which  surely  would  be  needless,  but 
to  indicate  its  suitableness  for  the  position  of  one 
who  intended  to  relieve  the  holy  city.  His  feet 
touch  it,  and  the  effect  is  that  of  an  earthquake 
(Ps.  Ixviii.  8  ;  Nah.  i.  5).  The  mountain  is  split 
through  the  middle  latitudinally,  so  that  the  two 
halves  fall  back  from  each  other,  one  toward  the 
north,  the  other  toward  the  south.  The  conse- 
quence would  be  the  formation  of  a  very  great 
valley  running  east  and  west.  To  one  fleeing 
hastily  from  Jerusalem,  the  Mount  of  Olives  pre- 
sented an  obstacle  of  no  small  importance,  as  it 
did  to  David  once  (2  Sam.  xv.  20)  ;  and  hence  the 
provision  here  made  for  removing  the  difficulty. 

Ver.  5.  And  ye  shall  flee  ....  Judah.  The 
people  will  flee  into  the  valley  of  my  mountains, 
not  the  Tyropoeon  (Jerome,  etc.),  but  into  the  val- 
ley produced  by  the  two  halves  of  Olivet,  which 
are  properly  called  by  Jehovah  his,  since  He  had 
just  given  them  their  separate  existence  (so  nearly 
all  critics).  The  reason  why  the  fugitives  should 
flee  thither  is  that  this  level  opening  extends  to 
Azal,  which  by  almost  all  expositors,  ancient  and 
modern,  is  considered  a  proper  name  denoting  a 
place  near  Jerusalem,  but  no  trace  of  any  such 
place  now  exists.  Hengstenberg  identifies  it  with 
the  "  Beth-Ezel"  of  Micah  i.  11,  and  explains  ita 
meaning  as=  "  standing  still,"  "  ceasing,"  so  that 
what  .is  promised  is  that  the  valley  shall  extend  to 
a  place  which  in  accordance  with  its  name  will 
afford  to  the  fugitives  a  cessation  of  danger.  Koh- 
ler follows  Symm.  and  Jerome  in  rendering  it  ad 
proximum,  which  he  renders  "  to  very  near,"  i.  e., 
to  the  point  where  the  fugitives  actually  are.  It 
seems  simpler  to  suppose  tliat  the  term  refers  to  a 
place  east  of  Olivet,  well  known  in  the  Prophet's 
day,  which  by  its  position  would  show  the  valley 
to  be  long  enough  to  furnish  all  needful  shelter 
and  escape  for  the  fleeing  people.  The  swiftness 
of  the  flight  is  expressed  by  comparison  to  that 
occasioned  by  the  earthquake  in  the  days  of 
Uzziah,  which  is  referred  to  in  Amos  i.  1,  but  of 
which  we  have  no  other  information.  Some  think 
that  the  fleeing  arises  from  fear  of  being  swallowed 
up  with  their  foes  by  the  earthquake  (Hengsten 
ber,  Keil)  ;  but  it  is  more  natural  to  refer  it  to 
fear  of  their  enemies.  The  added  clause,  and 
Jehovah  my  God  comes,  etc.,  with  the  suffix  of 
the  last  word  in  the  second  person,  indicates  the 
lively  joy  with  which  the  Prophet  hails  the  ap- 
pearance of  his  God,  so  that  as  he  sees  in  vision 
the  shining  retinue  of  his  saints,  he  passes  from 
indirect  to  direct  address,  and  exclaims,  all  the 
saints  with  thee  !  The  saints  here,  according  to 
the  analogy  of  other  passages  (Deut.  xxxiii.  2,  3  ; 
Dan.  vii.  9,  10  ;  Matt.  xxv.  31 ;  Rev.  xix.  14),  are 
the  holy  angels,  and  not  (Vitringa)  both  holy  an- 
gels and  holy  men. 

Ver.  6.  And  it  shall  be,  etc.  The  former  part 
of  this  verse  is  very  plain,  but  the  last  two  words 
are  obscure.  The  Keri  represents  an  early  attempt 
to  escape  the  difficulty  by  altering  the  text,  giving 

"|iSQp1  instead  of  'l"iW9I7%  This  was  adopted  by 
the  old  versions,  which,  besides,  either  assumed 
that  n'l"1i5^  was  synonymous  with  ninj?,  soUl, 
or  maintained  that  the  true  reading  was  Hl'^i^^. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Ill 


Then,  rendering  the  former  noun  ice,  they  got  the 
lense,  "  It  will  not  be  light,  but  (there  will  be) 
cold  and  ice"  (Targum,  Peshito,  Syinin.,  Itala, 
and  so  Luther).  Some  later  critics  ado]jting  the 
same  text  coordinate  the  three  nouns,  and  bring 
them  all  under  the  negation,  thus,  "  There  will  not 
be  light  and  cold  and  ice,"  i.  e.,  no  alternation 
of  them  (Ewald,  Bunsen,  Urabreit).  But  this  is 
a  very  poor  sense,  unsustained  by  any  analogy  in 
Scripture,  and  without  force  in  the  connection.  It 
is  far  better  to  adhere  to  the  Chethib,  in  which  the 
only  grammaticiil  difficulty  is  the  combination  of 
a  feminine  noun  with  a  verb  having  a  nuisculine 
Buffix,  which  surely  is  not  insuperable  in  Hebrew. 

n*l~lp^  means  here  as  elsewhere  precious  things, 
with  the  additional  idea  of  splendor  or  brilliancy, 
as  in  Job  xxxi.  26,  where  the  moon  is  said  to  walk 
"ip^  =  in  brightness  or  magnificently.  The  men- 
tion of  light  just  before  suggests  the  thought  of 
the  stars  or  heavenly  bodies  in  general,  as  what  is 
intended  by  the  glorious  things.  The  verb  then 
is  taken  in  its  primary  sense,  to  be  contracted  (h. 
to  curdle,  to  congeal),  here  =  withdraw  them- 
selves. The  whole  verse  then  indicates  a  day  of 
darkness.  The  lights  of  the  earth  will  all  disap- 
pear. What  the  former  clause  states  in  plain 
prose,  the  latter  expresses  more  figuratively. 

Ver.  7.  And  the  day  shall  be  one,  etc.  This 
verse  continues  the  description  of  the  sorrowful 
time  just  mentioned.  The  day  shall  be  one  in  the 
sense  of  solitary,  unique,  peculiar.  See  the  Lexi- 
cons. It  is  known  to  Jehovah,  and  by  implica- 
tion to  no  one  else,  in  its  true  nature.  Not  day 
and  not  night  =  not  an  admixture  of  both,  but 
neither,  not  a  vvx^Vfiepov  at  all,  because  the  lights 
of  heaven  being  put  out,  there  are  no  means  of 
determining  what  is  day  and  what  night.  The 
whole  order  of  nature  is  miraculously  reversed. 
The  expression  at  evening  time,  etc.,  is  the  an- 
tithesis of  the  declaration  in  Amos  viii.  9,  "  I  will 
cause  the  sun  to  go  down  at  noon,  and  I  will  bring 
darkness  upon  the  land  in  clear  day."  At  the  time 
when  according  to  the  natural  course  of  events 
larkness  should  set  in,  a  bright  light  dawns. 
Some  expositors  compare  with  this  verse  Rev. 
xxi.  23-25,  but  the  two  passages  are  radically  dif- 
ferent. It  is  true  not  only  at  the  end  of  all  things, 
but  at  many  a  previous  period  in  the  history  of 
the  Church,  that  at  evening  time  it  becomes  light. 
Some  critics  give  the  sense  thus  stated  by  Professor 
Cowles,  "  There  is  a  gradation  through  three  dis- 
tinct stages :  first,  utter  darkness ;  then,  a  dim 
twilight,  like  that  of  an  eclipse  ;  then,  at  the  close, 
when  you  mij^ht  expect  darkness  soon  to  cover  the 
earth,  lo,  the  effulgence  of  full  and  glorious  day" 
(M.  P.,  374). 

(c.)  Vers.  8-11.  Blessings  from  Jerusalem  dif- 
fuse themselves  over  the  whole  land. 

Ver.  8.  Living  waters  shall,  etc.  A  lively 
image  of  the  abundance  and  preciousness  of  spir- 
itual blessings,  as  is  evident  from  analogous  Scrip- 
tures and  from  the  fact  that  here  the  water  flows 
in  two  opposite  directions  at  once,  and  that  it  runs 
not  only  in  winter,  but  in  summer,  when  usually 
in  Palestine  the  streams  are  altogether  dry.  These 
waters  come  not  from  occasional  rainfalls,  but  are 
living,  i.  (?.,  proceed  from  perennial  fountains,  and 
BO  cover  the  whole  land  from  the  Dead  Sea  to  the 
Mediterranean  with  fertility  and  beauty.  They 
ssue  from  Jerusalem,  the  central  point  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  under  the  Old  Testament,  and 
^eri^  therefore  appropriately  standing  for  the  Chris- 


tian Church,  >vhich  is  that  centre  under  the  New 
Testament. 

Ver.  9.  And  Jehovah  shall  be  king,  etc.  Most 
expositors  render  "  over  all  the  earth,"  but  the  con- 
nection before  and  after  refers  certainly  to  Pales- 
tine, and  there  seems  no  reason  for  departing  from 
the  usual  rendering,  and  the  less,  inasmuch  as  be- 
yond doubt  Canaan  here  stands  as  a  typf  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  its  fullest  extent  in  this  world. 
Of  course  the  meaning  is  that  He  will  be  king  not 
only  potentiu  or  c/e  jure,  but  actu  ■''  de  facto.  In 
this  sense  He  shall  be  one,  i.  e.,  recognized  as 
such,  and  the  same  as  to  his  name  =  outward 
manifestation  of  his  nature.  Not  only  will  gross 
polytheism  come  to  an  end,  but  also  that  more  re- 
fined system  which  regards  all  forms  of  worship 
as  different  but  equally  legitimate  modes  of  wor- 
shipping the  one  Divine  Being. 

Ver.  10.  All  the  land  ....  wine-presses. 
The  whole  land  is  to  be  leveled  to  a  plain  in  order 
that  Jerusalem  may  be  elevated,  and  then  the  holy 
city  is  to  be  restored  to  its  former  grandeur.  The 
article  is  emphatic  in  the  plain,  which  in  Hebrew 
always  denotes  the  Arabah  or  Ghor,  the  largest 
and  most  celebrated  of  all  the  plains  of  Judsea, 
the  great  valley  extending  from  Lebanon  to  the 
farther  side  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Geba  was  on  the 
northern  frontier  of  Judah  (cf.  2  Kings  xxiii.  8). 
Rimmon,  distinguished  from  two  other  Rimmons 
on  the  north  (Josh.  xix.  13 ;  Judg  xx.  45),  by  the 
added  clause  south  of  Jerusalem,  was  a  city  on 
the  border  of  Edom,  given  up  by  Judah  to  the 
Simeonites  (Josh.  xv.  32;  xix.  7).  In  conse- 
quence of  this  depression  of  all  the  surrounding 
country,  Jerusalem  becomes  high.  The  capital 
seated  on  her  hills  shines  conspicuous  as  the  only 
elevation  in  a  very  wide  region.  Of  course  the 
physical  elevation  thus  miraculously  caused  is  only 
figurative  of  Jerusalem's  spiritual  exaltation.  An 
exact  parallel  is  found  in  the  repeated  and  remark- 
able prediction  of  Isaiah  (ii.  2)  and  Micah  (iv.  1), 
in  wliich,  however,  no  leveling  takes  place,  but 
the  temple-mountain  is  so  elevated  that  it  over- 
tops all  the  mountains  of  the  earth.  Professor 
Cowles  connects  the  plain  closely  with  the  two  fol- 
lowing words  so  as  to  get  the  sense  "  like  the  plain 
from  Geba  to  Rimmon  ;  "  but  there  was  no  such 
plain,  —  the  whole  territory  between  these  points 
being  hilly  in  the  extreme.  The  exaltation  of 
Jerusalem  is  followed  by  a  complete  recovery  from 
the  ruin  brought  upon  it  by  the  capture  and  plun- 
der mentioned  in  vers.  1,  2.     The  city  shall  dwell 

n^/nnn  =on  its  ancient  site  (cf.  xii.  6),  and  have 
its  old  boundaries.  These,  as  they  are  given  here, 
cannot   be   determined  with  certainty.     The  last 

clause,  From  the  tower  ....  wine-presses  (7^ 

being  supplied  before  7"iT3^),  is  generally  under- 
stood to  give  the  extent  north  and  south,  the  tower 
of  Hanameel  being  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
city  (Neh.  iii.  1  ;  xii.  39),  and  the  wine-pressea 
in  the  royal  gardens  at  the  south  side  (Neh.  iii. 
15).  As  to  the  former  clauses,  the  starting-point 
is  Benjamin's  gate,  whence  some  suppose  that  the 
line  ran  eastward  lo  the  first  gate,  i.  q.,  old  gate, 
(Neh.  iii.  6),  and  westward  to  the  corner  gate  (2 
Kings  xiv.  13), — the  gate  of  Benjamin  being  on 
this  supposition  in  the  middle  of  the  northern  wall 
(Hengstenberg,  Keil).  Others  with  less  probabil- 
ity make  the  corner  gate  simply  a  more  precise 
definition  of  the  place  of  the  first  gate  (Hitzig, 
Kliefbth).  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  toj ograph- 
ical  explorations  at  present  in  progress  on  the  site 


112 


ZECHARIAH. 


of  Jernsa  em  will  shed  sucli  lig:ht  upon  the  whole 
lubject  as  will  iimke  plain  what  now  can  be  only 
conjecturally  determined.  Still,  whatever  may  be 
the  precise  force  of  terms  here  used,  the  general 
sense  is  clear.  The  city  shall  have  its  former  lim- 
fts. 

Ver.  1 1 .  And  they  shall  dwell  ....  secure. 
Instead  of  going  out  either  as  captives  or  fugitives, 
the  inhabitants  shall  dwell  securely  and  have  no 
reason  to  dread  further  hostile  attacks  (Is.  Ixv. 
13).  The  ground  of  this  security  is  the  exemption 
from  the  curse,  the  dreadful  ban  which  always  fol- 
lows sin  (Josh.  vi.  18)  ;  and  the  cessation  of  this 
impliiis  that  the  people  are  a  holy  nation.  This 
clause  is  used  (Rev.  xxii.  3)  in  the  description  of 
the  holy  citj',  the  new  Jerusalem. 

(d.)  Vers.  12-15.  The  destruction  of  the  hostile 
nations.  The  Prophet  here  pauses  in  his  account 
of  the  i)lessings  destined  for  the  purified  Church, 
to  set  forth  more  fully  the  punishment  of  the  un- 
godly. 

Ver.  12.    TMs  will  be  the  plague  ....  month- 

^^f5^  according  to  usage  always  denotes  an  in- 
fliction from  the  hand  of  God.  The  stroke  here 
is  the  most  terrible  that  can  be  conceived,  —  the 
whole  frame  rotting  away  even  while  the  man 
stands  upon  his  feet,  i.  e.,  is  alive.  To  empha- 
size still  more  the  condition  of  these  living  corpses, 
the  Prophet  adds  the  rotting  of  the  eyes  which 
had  spied  out  the  nakedness  of  the  city  of  God, 
and  of  the  tongue  which  had  blasphemed  God  and 
his  people.  The  singular  sufHxcs  are  of  course  to 
be  ^aken  distributively. 

Ver.  13.  A  great  confusion  from  Jehovah. 
Another  means  of  destruction  is  civil  discord. 
The  allusion  appears  to  be  to  a  panic  terror  caus- 
ing such  confusion  that  each  turns  his  hand  upon 
the  other.  Instances  occur  in  Israelitish  history, 
Judg.  vii.  22;  1  Sam.  xiv.  20  (and  behold,  every 
man's  sword  against  his  neighbor,  and  there  was  a 

very  great  np^nj?  =  confusion),  2  Chron.  xx. 
23.  Seize  the  hand  denotes  a  hostile  grasp,  and 
the  next  clause  graphically  depicts  the  effort  of  the 
assailant  to  give  a  home  thrust. 

Ver.  14.  And  Judah  also  shall  fight  at  Jeru- 
salem, etc.  An  old  and  widely  accepted  view  trans- 
lates the  final  words  of  the  first  clause,  "  against 
Jerusalem  "  (Targum,  Jerome,  Kimchi,  Luther, 
Calvin,  Cocceius,  and  most  of  the  moderns).  But 
this  is  so  flatly  against  the  context,  that  it  must  be 

rejected,  even  though  it  be  admitted  that  ?  after 

Dn73  usually  points  out  the  object  of  attack.  In 
one  case  at  least  (Ex.  xvii.  8),  the  preposition  has 
a  local  sense,  and  this  is  true  also  of  Is.  xxx.  32, 
according  to  Ewald's  explanation  of  the  Kethib  in 
that  passage.  We  therefore  understand  the  clause 
as  teaching  that  Judah  =  the  whole  covenant  peo- 

Sle,  will  take  jjart  in  the  conflict  and  carry  it  on  at 
erusalem  (LXX.,  Markius,  Hengstenberg,  Klei- 
fotb,  Keil,  Kohler).  The  consequence  of  this  will  be 
the  overthrow  of  the  foes  and  the  capture  of  all 
their  costly  possessions.  AppareL  As  fashions  in 
the  East  did  not  and  do  not  change  as  they  do 
with  us,  garments  of  all  kinds  were  kept  in  great 
number,  and  constituted  a  large  part  of  oriental 
tvealth  (Job  xxvii.  16,  Matt.  vi.  19,  Jas.  v.  2). 

Vet.  15.  And  so  ...  .  the  plague  of  the 
horse,  etc.  This  verse  amplifies  the  crime  and 
punishment,  since  it  shows  th^  guilt  of  these  foes 
;o  l>e  such  that  even  their  possessions  are  overtaken 
)v  the  divine  curse.    The  case  is  illustrated  by  the 


example  of  Achan,  whose  oxen  and  si  eep  t.nd 
asses  were  bu.-ned,  along  with  himself  and  his  chil 
dren  (Josh.  vii.  24). 

(e.)  Vers.  16-19.  The  remnant  of  the  heathen 
shall  be  converted. 

Ver.  16.  All  that  is  left  ....  tabernacles 
The  prophet  states,  with  an  evident  allusion  to  Is 
Ixvi.  23,  that  those  of  the  heathen  who  are  not 
destroyed  will  all  go  up  yearly  to  the  sanctuary  of 
Jehovah  to  observe  one  of  the  great  feasts.  This, 
of  course,  is  figurative,  as  the  most  intrepid  liter- 
alist  will  scarcely  maintain  that  all  nations  could 
by  any  possibility  accomplish  such  a  feat.  Hen- 
derson seeks  to  avoid  the  difficulty  by  supposing 
that  they  will  go  up  in  the  person  of  their  repre- 
sentatives. But  even  this  ingenious  device  fail? 
to  meet  the  terms  used  by  Isaiah,  /.  c,  where  all 
flesh  is  said  to  come  every  Sabbath  and  ever}'  new 
moon.  The  verse  is  simply  a  striking  method  of 
depicting  the  entrance  of  the  heathen  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Why  is  the  feast  of  taber- 
nacles specified  ?  Not  because  it  occurred  in 
autumn,  which  is  the  best  season  of  the  year  for 
travelling  (Theodoret,  Grotius,  Rosenmiiller)  ;  nor 
because  this  feast  was  the  holiest  and  most  joyful 
(Koster,  V.  Ortenburg,  Pressel)  ;  nor  because  of 
its  relation  to  the  ingathering  of  the  harvest  (Koh- 
ler) ;  nor  because  such  a  festival  could  be  observed 
without  any  compromise  of  the  principles  of  the  New 
Dispensation  (Henderson)  ;  but  rather  in  view  of 
its  interesting  historical  relations  (Dachs,  C.  B. 
Michaelis,  Hengstenberg).  It  was  a  feast  of  thanks- 
giving for  the  gracious  protection  afforded  by  the 
Lord  during  the  pilgrimage  of  his  people  through 
the  desert,  and  for  their  introduction  into  the  bless- 
ings of  the  land  of  Canaan.  In  like  manner  the 
nations  will  celebrate  the  goodness  which  has 
brought  them  through  their  tedious  and  perilous 
wanderings  in  this  life  to  the  true  and  everlasting 
kingdom  of  peace  and  rest.  Carrying  out  this  fig 
urative  representation,  the  prophet  adds  a  penalty 
to  be  inflicted  upon  all  absentees. 

Ver.  17.  Whoso  of  the  families  ....  no  rain. 
Rain  seems  to  be  mentioned  as  one  of  the  principal 
blessings  of  God,  that  by  which  the  fruitfulness  is 
produced  which  occasions  the  joy  of  the  harvest. 
It  therefore  appropriately  stands  here  to  represent 
the  whole  class  of  providential  favors.  Compare 
the  notes  on  x.  1.  It  shall  be  withheld  from  those 
who  fail  to  fulfill  their  duties  to  Him.  See  a  sim- 
ilar threat,  upon  Israel,  in  Deut.  xi.  16,  17.  Pressel 
calls  attention  to  the  fine  use  of  the  word  family 
in  this  verse  in  connection  with  Jehovah  as  king, 
indicating  that  then  the  various  nations  of  the 
earth  shall  be  considered  as  so  many  families  of  the 
one  people  of  God. 

Ver.  18.  And  if  the  family  of  Egypt  go  not 
up,  etc.  The  menace  of  the  preceding  verse  is  re- 
peated with  especial  application  to  Egypt.  Many 
have  sought  the  reason  of  this  particular  specifica- 
tion in  the  natural  peculiarities  of  Egypt,  which, 
being  indebted  for  its  fertility  not  to  rain  but  to  the 
Nile,  might  seem  to  be  exempt  from  the  threatened 
drought.  But  surely,  apart  from  otl  er  considera- 
tions, this  has  no  force  nor  applicati(  n,  when  it  is 
remembered  that  even  the  Nile  is  de;endent  upon 
rains  at  its  source.  It  is  far  more  natui  al  to  attrib- 
ute the  mention  of  Egypt  to  its  historical  relations 
to  Israel  as  their  hereditary  foe.  The  old  enemy 
of  the  Church  shall  either  join  the  procession  Zion 
ward,  or  else  feel  the  retributive  curse. 

Ver.  19.  This  shall  be  the  sin  of  £gypi 
"  This,"   namely,    that    no   raiu    falls    m  them. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


iiy 


Hence  many  adopt  the  version  of  nSISH  in  the 
English  B\h\e,  punishment  (Targum,  Calvin,  Hen- 
derson), and  appeal  to  Lam.  iii.  38,  iv.  6,  Is.  xl.  2. 
But  it  is  at  least  doubtful  if  the  word  ever  has  this 
»ense  (see  on  Lam.  iv.  6),  and  afcordiniily  the  diffi- 
culty is  avoided  by  takiuj;  it  ^  sin,  including:  its 
consequences  ( Henj^stenberg,  Keil,  KiJhler).  The 
inseparable  connection  between  sin  and  punishment 
is  wellex|)ressed  in  Num.  xxxii.  23.  The  foregoing 
passage  does  not  require  us  to  believe  that  at  the 
period  spoken  of  there  will  still  be  godless  heathen 
who  refuse  to  acknowledge  and  worship  Jehovah. 
It  may  be  simply  a  rhetorical  enforcement  of  the 
thought  that  all  ungodliness  will  then  entirely 
ceaje. 

(f.)  Vers.  20,  2L  Jerusalem  becomes  thoroughly 
holy. 

Ver.  20.    There  shall  be  on  the  bells  .  .  .  . 

altar.  H'i ' -*Pi  variously  rendered  by  ancient  au- 
thorities, is  now  acknowledged  to  mean  bells,  which 
were  suspended  from  horses  and  mules  for  the  sake 
of  ornament.  The  phrase  inscribed  upon  these. 
Holiness  to  Jehovah,  is  that  which  was  engraved 
upon  the  diadem  of  the  high  priest  (Ex.  xxviii. 
36).  This  does  not  mean  that  these  bells  should 
be  employed  for  religious  worship,  or  used  to  make 
sacred  vessels  ("Jewish  Critics,  Cyril,  Grotius)  ;  nor 
that  the  horses  and  other  means  of  warfere  should 
be  consecrated  to  the  Lord  (C.  B.  Michaelis,  Hit- 
»ig,  Ewaki,  Maurer)  ;  but  that  the  distinction  be- 
tween sacred  and  profane  should  cease  (Calvin, 
Hengstenberg,  Keil,  etc.).  Even  the  smallest  out- 
ward things,  such  as  have  no  connection  with  wor- 
ship, will  be  as  holy  as  those  which  formerly  were 
dedicated  by  a  special  consecration  to  Jehovah. 
Of  course  this  involves  the  cessation  of  the  Levit- 
ical  Economy.  An  advance  upon  this  thought  is 
contained  in  the  second  clause.  Not  only  shall 
everything  profane  become  holy,  but  the  different 
degrees  of  holiness  shall  cease.  The  pots  used  for 
boiling  the  sacrificial  flesh  shall  be  just  as  holy  as 
the  sacred  bowls  which  received  the  blood  of  the 
j)iacular  victims.  The  two  kinds  of  utensils  stood 
at  opposite  points  of  the  scale  of  sanctity  ;  to  put 
them  on  the  same  level  was  to  say  that  all  would 
not  only  be  holy,  but  alike  holy.  Calvin  on  this 
passage  cites  with  ridicule  the  opinion  of  Theod- 
oret,  that  the  former  part  of  the  verse  was  fulfilled 
when  Helena,  the  mother  of  Constantine,  adorned 
the  trap])ings  of  a  horse  with  a  nail  of  the  cross  ! 
Such  trifling  was  too  much  even  for  Jerome. 

Ver.  21.  And  every  pot  ....  in  that  day. 
Here  the  thought  is  carried  yet  farther.  Not  only 
shall  the  temple-pots  be  equal  to  sacrificial  bowls, 
but  every  common  pot  in  the  city  and  throughout 
the  land,  will  become  as  sacred  as  the  utensils  of 
the  temple,  and  be  freely  used  by  all  for  sacrificial 
purposes.  The  substance  of  the  thought  is  the 
same,  only  more  emphatic.  This  now  is  repeated 
in  the  closing  words,  —  no  more  a  Canaanite  in 

the  house  of  Jehovah.  ^^V..?  does  not  mean  a 
merchant,  as  in  Job  xl.  6,  Prov.  xxxi.  24  (Targum, 
Aquila,  Jerome,  Grotius,  Bunsen,  Hitzig),  for  there 
are  no  indications  that  traders  in  Old  Testament 
times  frequented  the  holy  courts  for  traffic ;  nor 
literal  Canaanites  by  birth,  such  as  Gibeonites  and 
Nethinim,  who  were  employed  in  the  lower  func- 
tions of  the  temple-service  (Drusius,  V.  Hoffman, 
Kliefoth),  for  these  classes  lost  none  of  theiv  former 
esteem  after  the  restoration ;  but  the  term  is  used 
as  an  emblematic  designation  of  godless  members 
of  the  covenant  nation.   Canaan  was  cursed  among 


Noah's  children,  and  his  descendants  were  undei 
the  ban  (Deut.  vii.  2,  xx.  16,  17).  To  say  that 
these  should  no  more  be  found  in  the  Lord's  house, 
is  simply  to  say  that  all  its  frequenters  should  be 
righteous  and  holy.  Professor  Cowles  says,  "  Ca- 
naanite was  the  common  Hebrew  word  for  trafFck- 
er,  merchant,  —  a  business  in  bad  repute  among  th3 
Hebrews  because  so  much  associated  with  fraud 
and  deceit.  See  Hos.  xii.  7,  8."  I  am  quite  un- 
willing to  believe  that  the  voice  of  inspiration  put 
such  a  stigma  upon  a  necessary  and  honorable  oc- 
cupation as  this  explanation  implies.  Besides,  to 
say  that  the  love  of  hi  thy  lucre  shall  no  more  pol- 
lute the  sanctuary,  is  far  less  than  to  say  that  no 
form  of  sin  of  whatever  kind  shall  be  found  there. 
Further,  such  a  view  is  excluded  by  the  obvious 
analogy  between  these  two  closing  verses  of  Zech- 
ariah  and  the  statements  in  the  concluding  pas- 
sages of  the  Apocalypse,  where  it  is  plain  that 
universal  holiness  is  promised  as  the  characteristic 
feature  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  its  final  consum- 
mation. 

THBOLOGICAL  AND  MORAL 

1 .  As  this  chapter  is  by  most  sound  interpreters 
admitted  to  be  either  as  yet  wholly  unfulfilled,  or 
else  an  ideal  sketch  of  the  experiences  of  centuries 
extending  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
Christian  dispensation,  there  is,  of  course,  consid- 
erable vagueness  in  the  view  taken  of  its  details. 
This,  however,  is  no  valid  objection  to  its  place  in 
the  canon.  Prophecy  was  never  intended  to  be 
simply  history  written  in  advance.  Had  it  been 
such,  its  own  ends  would  have  been  defeated.  Its 
obscurity  prior  to  fulfillment  is  a  sure  evidence  of 
its  genuineness.  But  the  broad  outlines  which  defy 
literal  explanation,  yet  serve  to  indicate  great  prin- 
ciples, to  disclose  the  springs  of  God's  moral  gov- 
ernment, and  to  furnish  useful  hints  for  the  guid- 
ance of  his  people,  warning  them  against  undue 
expectations  and  yet  furnishing  a  sure  basis  for  a 
reasonable  and  holy  hope.  Pictures  of  siege,  as- 
sault, capture,  plunder,  and  exile,  as  sure  to  occur 
in  the  future,  forbid  the  least  intelligent  reader  from 
forgetting  that  he  belongs  to  the  Church  JMilitant, 
or  from  expecting  a  calm,  steady,  peaceful,  equable 
advance  of  Zion  to  its  destined  prevalence  over  the 
earth.  On  the  contrary,  they  show  that  trials  of 
faith  and  patience  must  be  encountered ;  that  at 
times  the  whole  outlook  will  be  dark  and  discour- 
aging ;  that  Satan,  like  his  angels  of  old  in  the  case 
of  the  demoniacs,  will  fearfully  convulse  and  rend 
the  body  from  which  he  is  doomed  to  be  driven  out. 
Such  suggestions,  therefore,  however  vaguely  they 
may  be  e.xpreosed,  furnish  to  believers  real  support 
in  the  season  when  the  enemies  of  the  truth  seem 
to  triumph,  by  reminding  them  that  just  this  en- 
tered into  God's  providential  purpose.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  same  prophecy  shows  the  silver 
lining  of  the  cloud,  shows  that  the  check  of  the  true 
cause  is  only  temporary.  The  brilliant  representa- 
tions of  future  and  final  triumph  console  and  up- 
hold in  the  greatest  "  fight  of  afflictions."  And  be- 
lievers fall  back  upon  the  assurance  of  the  Psalm- 
ist, "  When  the  wicked  spring  as  the  grass  and  all 
the  workers  of  iniquity  do  flourish,  it  is  that  they 
shall  be  destroyed  forever"  (xcii.  7). 

2.  At  evening  time  there  shall  be  light.  This  has 
come  to  be  a  watchword  of  the  Church.  The  cor- 
responding proverb  of  the  world,  "  the  darkest 
hour  is  just  before  day,"  has  been  questioned,  both 
in  its  literal  and  its  figurative  aspects,  and  perhapf 
justly.    But  there  is  no  question  of  the  d'oth  of 


114 


ZECHARIAH. 


Fiechariah's  assertioTi.  It  is  God's  way  to  test  the 
faith  and  patience  of  his  people,  to  surround  them 
with  difficulties,  to  hedue  up  their  way  on  every 
hand  until  they  see  and  feel  their  own  helplessness 
and  dependence,  and  then  He  interposes  in  a  sio^nal 
manner.  In  the  great  trial  of  Abraliani,  when  called 
to  oH'er  Isaac  for  a  burnt-offeriui;,  the  preparations 
had  reached  the  last  point,  and  the  patriarcli's  arm 
was  uplifted  to  strike  the  fatal  blow,  when  the  voice 
from  heaven  stayed  his  hand,  and  the  believer 
gratefully  exclaimed,  "Jehovah  Jireh  =  The  Lord 
will  provide."  The  experience  of  Abraham's  de- 
scendants in  Egypt  led  to  the  proverbial  saying 
which  the  Rabbins  have  preserved  for  us_  "  When 
the  straw  fails,  then  comes  Moses,"  or  as  the  mod- 
ern phrase  is,  "  Man's  extremity  is  God's  opportu- 
nity." When  Lazarus  was  sick  our  Lord  was  in- 
f(jrmed  of  the  fact  in  ample  time  to  proceed  to  his 
bedside  and  arrest  the  disease,  as  He  Rad  often  done 
in  other  cases,  but  He  deliberately  remained  away 
on  the  other  side  of  Jordan,  and  came  to  Bethany 
only  when  the  grave  had  held  its  victim  for  days. 
This  was  not  through  coldness  or  carelessness,  but, 
as  He  said,  for  the  glory  of  God  (John  xi.  4,  40), 
in  order  that  a  miracle  so  transcendent  might  con- 
firm the  faith  of  his  disciples  and  intensify  yet 
more  the  love  and  joy  of  the  sisters  in  their  brother 
whom  they  received  back  from  the  tomb.  And  so 
in  all  cases,  whether  of  individuals  or  communi- 
ties, faith  is  sustained  by  the  assurance  that  a  day 
of  clouds  and  gloom  cannot  last  forever,  that  a 
change  will  occur  just  so  soon  as  the  purposes  of 
the  visitation  are  accomplished,  and  that  it  will 
come  just  when,  according  to  the  natural  course 
of  things,  a  starless  night  is  about  to  set  in.  Earn- 
est prayer  was  made  by  the  Church  for  the  impris- 
oned Fetor  (Acts  xii.  5),  but  it  was  not  until  the 
very  night  before  the  day  appointed  for  his  execu- 
tion that  the  angel  of  the  Lord  delivered  him  from 
his  guards  and  fetters. 

3.  Water  is  a  natural  image  of  spiritual  bless- 
ings, and  especially  of  the  chiefest  of  them  all, — 
the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Psalmist 
speaks  of  a  river  whose  streams  make  glad  the  city 
of  God  (xlvi.  4);  Joel  declares  a  fountain  shall 
come  forth  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  and  shall  water 
thevalley  of  Shittim  (iii.  18)  ;  Isaiah  promises,  "I 
will  pour  floods  upon  the  dry  ground  :  I  will  pour 
my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  my  blessing  upon 
thine  offspring  "  (xliv.  3) ;  but  Ezekiel  (xlvii.  1-12) 
furnishes  a  most  striking  parallel  to  Zechariah's 
prediction.  He  saw  water  issuing  from  under  the 
sanctuary,  an  ever  widening,  deepening  stream, 
which  swept  through  the  desert  bearing  fertility  in 
its  course,  until  it  reached  the  Sea  of  Sodom,  the 
standing  symbol  of  desolation  and  death,  and 
healed  its  stagnant  waters,  filling  them  with  animal 
life  and  covering  its  banks  with  trees  whose  fruit 
was  food  and  their  leaves  medicine.  Our  proph(;t 
sees  living  streams  which  issue  in  different  direc- 
tions from  Jerusalem,  and  reach  to  either  sea,  east 
and  west ;  and  as  they  flow  without  intermission, 
winter  and  summer,  they  make  the  land  a  terres- 
trial Paradise  with  undying  verdure  and  perpetual 
abundance.  No  one  of  these  figurative  descriptions, 
however  large  and  varied,  is  overwrought  or  ex- 
travagant. They  rather  fall  short  of  the  reality. 
The  blessed  Spirit  is  the  author  of  all  the  holiness 
in  the  world.  He  indeed  uses  means.  The  proph- 
ecies put  Him  in  close  connection  with  Jerusalem 
i.nd  the  Temple.  But  the  means  (le))end  ujjon 
Him,  just  as  the  bestappointed  shij)  makes  no  prog- 
ress without  a  breeze.  The  Apostles  were  not  al- 
owed  to  engage  in  their  work  until  the  Spirit  was 


poured  out  from  on  high,  but  when  the  effusioi 
was  felt,  the  feeblest  of  them  spake  as  with  a 
tongue  of  fire.  The  grand  feature  of  the  latter  day 
is  copious  and  continuous  effusions  of  such  grace, 
—  no  longer  intermittent,  or  scanty,  or  of  small 
extent,  but  radiating  in  all  directions  at  once,  per- 
manently filling  every  channel,  and  limited  only  by 
the  wants  of  the  race.  Wherever  these  living 
streams  reach,  the  barren  soil  of  nature  is  fertil- 
ized and  the  dead  live  again.  Quickly  but  surely, 
with  the  same  noiseless  energy  with  which  the 
great  providential  forces  work,  these  spiritual  agen 
cies  perform  their  office  of  reconstructing  human 
society  and  changing  the  face  of  the  world 

4.  The  consequence  of  such  streams  of  blessmg 
is  a  degree  of  consecration  never  seen  before.  The 
form  in  which  the  universal  prevalence  of  holiness 
is  expressed,  is  noteworthy.  Men  are  not  to  be- 
come monks  or  anchorites,  the  ordinary  conditions 
of  human  life  are  not  to  be  reversed  ;  but  on  the 
contrary  the  infusion  of  grace  will  be  so  large  and 
general  that  every  rank  and  class  will  feel  if,  and 
its  effects  will  be  seen  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
purifying  and  elevating  without  upturning  or  de- 
stroying. In  business,  in  recreation,  in  politics, 
in  art,  in  literature,  in  social  life,  in  the  domestic 
circle,  there  will  be  a  distinct  and  cordial  recog- 
nition of  the  claims  of  God  and  of  the  supremacy 
of  his  law.  There  will  be  no  divorce  anywhere 
between  religion  and  morality,  no  demand  that 
any  department  of  human  activity  shall  be  deemed 
beyond  the  domain  of  conscience.  When  even  the 
bells  on  the  horses  bear  the  same  sacred  inscription 
which  once  flashed  from  the  diadem  of  the  High 
Priest,  nothing  can  be  found  too  small  or  too  fa- 
miliar to  be  consecrated  to  the  Lord.  The  religious 
spirit  will  prevail  everywhere,  securing  justice, 
truth,  kindness,  and  courtesy  among  men  ;  doing 
away  with  wars,  contentions,  jealousies,  and  com- 
petitions ;  hallowing  trades  and  handicrafts ;  soft- 
ening the  inevitable  contrasts  of  ranks,  gifts,  and 
conditions ;  binding  men  to  one  another  by  their 
devotion  to  a  common  master  in  heaven  ;  and  thus 
introducing  the  true  city  of  God  on  earth  for  which 
all  saints  long  with  an  ever  increasing  desire.  The 
idea  of  such  a  commonwealth  originated  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  it  can  be  realized  only  in  the  way 
they  point  out.  All  schemes  of  political,  social,  or 
even  moral  reform,  apart  from  the  principles  of  the 
Word,  are  the  merest  chimeras.  They  are  impos- 
sible of  accomplishment,  and  if  accomplished, 
would  disappoint  their  projectors.  True  religion, 
restoring  the  Lord  to  his  rightful  place  in  human 
thought  and  action,  alone  furnishes  the  sanction, 
the  authority,  and  the  power  by  which  men  become 
what  they  ought  to  be  to  themselves,  to  each  other, 
and  to  the  community.  The  last  Canaanite  will 
perish  from  the  earth,  and  the  people  shall  be  all 
righteous,  when  the  earth  is  filled  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea. 

HOMILETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL. 

Bbadlet  :  Vers.  6,  7.   I.  Mixed  condition  of 

the  righteous  in  this  world ;  in  respect  to  their 
knowledge,  their  outward  circumstances,  their  in- 
ward comforts,  their  wavering  holiness.  II.  God's 
wisdom  in  allowing  it ;  to  subdue  their  corrup- 
tions, to  exercise  their  graces,  to  bring  them  to  d» 
pendence  on  Himself.  III.  Our  consolation  undei 
it ;  God  notices  it,  the  mixed  events  work  together 
for  good,  the  scene  is  short.  IV.  The  happy  termi 
nation  of  all ;  in  a  state  of  unmingled  good,  in  as 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


115 


anexpected  hoar.  Finally,  Arc  we  the  people  con- 
cerned in  it  ? 

Hengstenuerg  :  Vers.  1 1 .  Ctirse.  All  the 
dreadful  thin<rs  th.it  can  possibly  be  thought  of  are 
included  in  this  one  wonl. 

Calvi.v  :  Ver.  12.  The  habitation  of  the  godly 
is  secure,  not  because  they  dread  no  attacks  of 
foes,  but  because  they  firmly  believe  that  they  will 
be  preserved  b\'  a  power  from  above,  even  though 
the  devil  excites  the  peoples  on  all  sides  to  contrive 
their  rain. 


Payson:  Vers.  20,  21.  I.  All  common  duties 
will  be  performed  as  seriously  as  solemn  worship. 
II.  Every  building  will  be  a  house  of  God.  III. 
Every  day  will  be  like  a  Sabbath.  IV.  Every 
meal  will  be  what  the  Lord's  Supper  is  now.  V. 
Yet  the  distinctions  which  now  prevail  will  be  ob» 
served.  VI.  There  will  be  no  insincere  worship- 
pers. Infer  (1.)  How  wretchedly  we  now  live.  (2.1 
See  whether  we  have  any  religion  or  not.  (3.) 
Learn  what  pursuits  and  pleasures  are  pleasing  t« 
God. 


Date  Due 


t/ov^  U9 


"MC  l*^"     ^^jiJigjiiWiiii^ 


NO  3-'5'^ 


JY20'55 


■to^ 


**KJFrt%.. 


